


That's Not Me

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments (Movies), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Closeted Alec, F/M, Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 00:36:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8644540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Time travel and romance ;)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably going to be very long, I'm sorry.

It was snowing in New York City. This wasn't exciting news, as the cold was well known and undesired by locals. Alec Lightwood shuddered and pulled his hood tighter around his head, ducking against the wind as it blew snowflakes at his eyes. He reminded himself to walk faster, that he had already gotten home late three times that week and his girlfriend was already upset by that. The first few times, she had shrugged it all off and wasn't bothered by the extra shifts, but Alec had begun to get comfortable with her ease. Accepting more and more shifts, he was hardly ever home.

He didn't mean to be a bad boyfriend. Lydia was nice, and she always accepted his apologies. Aside from being late and distant, Alec didn't do anything wrong. He had near perfect grades, an extreme work ethic, and a passion for his major. He just lacked putting that effort into his love life. 

He had been with his girlfriend since his senior year of high school, after a bad clash with his parents. Alec slipped up, and was determined to never let it happen again. Since then, she had followed him to the same college, and the two had been together for three years. In their Junior Year, Lydia's patience was wearing thin. 

Alec burst through the apartment door in a frenzy of shivers and semi-melted snowflakes that clung to his hoodie and wet the ends of his hair. Lydia was on the couch, half asleep as the TV droned on, her drama shows apparently not full of enough drama to keep her awake. The door slamming shut behind Alec was loud enough to startle her though, and she bolted straight up, eyes wide and pulse leaping. "Sorry, sorry." Alec quickly apologized for having startled her, to which she smiled and replied, "It's alright. How was work?"

"You know, the usual." Alec shrugged, moving to peel his damp hoodie off. 

"Let me help you with that," Lydia said, her voice low. She got up from the couch and moved to him, her warm hands hitting his ice cold body. Alec gasped and moved away.

"It's okay." He said quickly, shuffling past her. He made his way to his room, which was slowly being taken over by Lydia. He found warm clothes and wrapped a blanket over himself, letting the heat slow his shivering. When he turned, Lydia was in the doorway. She looked upset. She always did those days.

"It's late." She announced as if she just realized.

"Yeah, it was a long day at work." Alec told her, though it was the same thing he had been saying to her all week. And the week before. Lydia frowned, the expression becoming default on her face.

"Alec-" She began to grow tense with annoyance, ready to throw out all of the words her friends had been using against Alec, all the things they had been saying, but she stopped. 

Alec walked over to her, embracing her. It was a robotic action; he cared about her so much, loved her even, but not like she loved him. And he was afraid of that. Her arms wrapped tightly around him and he said, "I'm sorry I've been taking so many shifts, I promise to cut back." He bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he had just lied to her. She nodded and kissed him, and he forced himself to make it passionate, tangling his hands in her hair and leaving her breathless, just like he did years ago when it was easier to act. 

They ate Chinese takeout while watching TV together. Alec asked if Lydia planned on spending the night, but she said she was going to go back to her dorm to be closer to a class she had the next day. Alec lived off-campus for many reasons, Lydia being on of them. Once she left and their mess was cleaned up, Alec was left in the silence of his apartment, alone, not even missing the girl that he was supposed to be in love with.

He was frustrated with himself. It had be four years, four years that he dragged the girl along simple because he was afraid of his family. Four years ago his youngest brother died, wrecking him terribly. Four years ago his parents found him kissing another boy in his room, wrecking him more. Four years ago he had lied to his parents, saying that it was the other boy's fault, that he was vulnerable because of the hard time he was going through. Four years ago he forced himself to change.

His other siblings, his brother and sister, were perfectly fine with him. Jace, his brother who was the same age as him, teased Alec endlessly about cute guys. Isabelle, his younger sister, looked at him with pity in her eyes and disapproval on her features every time Alec dragged Lydia with him to family events. They both knew the truth- they all hid it together. 

Alec fell asleep that night feeling the same way he always did: scared for the next day. 

``````

Lydia began arguing with him more. After a straight month of Alec all but avoiding her, she snapped, crying and yelling about how he didn't love her and he was cheating on her. Alec took it all, her words ringing true to some degree. She left angrily, saying that she was tired of giving herself to someone who didn't want her. He didn't blame her.

At first, for a few months after that really bad fight, Alec would text and call her, saying he missed her, but it was all semi-automatic. He did it really because he had to, not because he really wanted her back. He figured a solid four-year relationship with a girl would satisfy his parents, but he kept up the endless game of back-and-forth with Lydia, just to have new things to report to them. _I tried getting her to stay_ , followed by a _I really do love her, mom_ kept his parents sated. 

Christmas was fast approaching, and Lydia still accused him of cheating on her. Alec wanted to scream at her, tell her that there was no way he'd willingly kiss another girl for no reason. He wanted to tell her he only kissed her because his relationship with his family was on the line. School was getting to both of them, added to the stress of Alec's sales associate job where angry costumers would battle him all the time about prices. "Can I speak to the manager?" Had become Alec's least favorite question in the world. He had raked in quite the bonus from all of the shifts, and bought Lydia a nice necklace that wasn't super expensive but could definitely pass as such, and used the majority to pay off some loans on textbooks he had piled up. 

On Christmas Eve, Alec gave his final attempt at patching things up with Lydia instead of letting her go. He pulled the necklace out, told her, "You're the only girl I want." Promising, "There's never going to be anyone else." Tears came to her eyes and she kissed him, apologizing for being so short with him. Alec of course felt guilty, he wasn't a total robot. The next day, the two went to visit Alec's family upstate, and Isabelle was all frowns.

"Why do you drag her along?" She asked Alec when they got a moment alone.

"Because I can't disappoint mom and dad." Alec said. "You know that. Not after Max." The mere mention of their younger brother's name made Isabelle pale and walk away from him. Isabelle had no idea Alec had been caught all those years ago, she figured Alec was trying to hide who he was to carry on the bloodline, even though Jace could do that just fine with his girlfriend, a girl he actually loved and was more than willing to sleep with.

Alec slept with Lydia, though avoided it as much as possible. That was the beauty of his extra shifts. As much as he wanted to punch all the old ladies that came in and argued with him, he was thankful that it kept him out of Lydia's pants. Christmas night, however, the two drunkenly fell into a winter break haze and hardly left the bed. Alec could hardly resist, being drunk most of the days. When he sobered up, coming down off of all the wild college things that were way more extreme than alcohol, he felt sick and had to de-tangle himself from a naked Lydia. He promptly spent the next three days at a friend's house, coming down and washing the events from his mind.

Then routine came again.

Lydia seemed happier, probably because she got more action and affection from Alec in that drunken week than she had in years. Not that he never touched her, he just didn't touch her enough. After the New Year, she backed off slightly. January passed, snow piling in the streets and salt trucks occupying the roads. February idled by, Valentine's Day stabbing Alec in the back. March arrived, and all the romance had drained from Alec once again. He knew that if he were really in love, he'd never run out. He knew he should never feel tired of having to love someone.

Lydia finally seemed to realize this, too. When things fell apart, they didn't crumble like Alec had always imagined. Lydia approached him one day, calm and collected, and declared that she knew Alec was not in love with her anymore. She had paused by the door, waiting for Alec to deny the accusation, but his defense never came out. She left after a minute pause that stretched into infinity, collecting her purse and swinging the door shut, letting the slam reverberate throughout Alec's hollow apartment.

He took a deep breath and sat on the coach. It was alright, he told himself. He could just tell his parents he wanted to be single for a while. There was no shame to a single life, as apposed to the opposite. Alec wasn't sure how long he stayed sitting on his couch. His phone buzzed a few times, no doubt his siblings wanting to talk to him. Lydia had been close with everyone in the family, Alec had no doubt that she told them as soon as she left, as a sort of revenge against Alec's silence.

The sun set over New York City.

Alec's ears wouldn't stop ringing.

Sometime late in the night, a terrible crash sent him jumping out of his skin, as if walls had been knocked down. Alec stood, felt a wave of dizziness, and promptly passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

It was weird, being unable to open his eyes yet hearing and feeling everything around his body. Alec couldn't even make noise, it was like he was frozen. There was a shuffling noise, someone going around, their feet dragging along the carpet. Alec felt his heart speed up, nerves going into overdrive. Thoughts whirled through his mind, that he was drugged, kidnapped, going to be murdered. There was the sound of knees cracking as whoever was in his home knelt beside him, and then Alec felt hands on his shoulders shaking him lightly.

"Hello?" A voice said warily. Alec determined it was a masculine voice, and tried hard to open his eyes. He managed a groan out of the effort, but his eyes stayed shut. "Oh, good!" The invader exclaimed. "I thought you were dead." Alec could only groan again in response. A minute passed and slowly, Alec was able to open his eyes. His lashes felt glued together, and his eyes felt dry and itchy. At first, his vision was blurry. He couldn't make out the familiar bumps on his ceiling, and light mixed oddly with shadows. Then, the intruder leaned over his face and Alec was startled into clarity.

"What the hell-" Alec promptly shot up from the floor and scooted away from the stranger. He noticed that he was still in his own home, so he wasn't kidnapped. Though that didn't calm him at all. 

The stranger smiled at him, his eyes glinting oddly. His eyes were rimmed darkly with make up, and his hair was styled into impressively gelled spikes. "Are you alright?" He asked, voice calm. Alec only blinked in response. He looked around, searching for Lydia before remembering that she was gone, then his eyes fell back on the stranger. His head throbbed and his mouth was dry. "I'm sorry, this is my fault. There was some difficulty with the machine and it appears as if you are severely under prepared for my arrival." 

Alec had no idea what the man was talking about. "Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Magnus." The intruder smiled. Alec noticed that his teeth were dazzlingly white and his skin impossibly clear. 

"Okay." Alec replied lamely. "What are you doing in my home, Magnus?"

This brought a frown to the stranger's face. "I feared this." He muttered, standing from his spot on the floor, stretching out his crackling joints. Alec refused to be beneath him, so he stood with some trouble. His legs felt ten times heavier than usual. "I'm afraid I'm in the wrong place." Magnus said after waiting for Alec to gain some composure. "I'll be leaving now."

"Wait," Alec called out, surprising himself. "You broke into my home, knocked me out, and you're not going to explain yourself?"

Magnus considered Alec for a moment, and Alec felt tiny under his gaze. "I can't explain right now, but perhaps over coffee later?" He threw in a wink at the end of the sentence and Alec refused to let himself blush, refused to acknowledge any spark of anything from that man. In an instant, the stranger was out of the apartment and Alec was alone again.

He hurried to his bedroom to examine himself in the full length mirror. There were no marks, no bruises, nothing to indicate that the man had harmed him. Alec was baffled, flustered even. The man's wink played over and over in his mind, sending a thrill up his spine. He upbraided himself. It wasn't the first time in the past four years that another man had flirted with him, if Alec could even call a simple wink flirting. He had dealt with guys straight up trying to back him into corners to kiss and touch him, something he enjoyed in secret but had to hide from in the public eye. He could sneak to a club on the weekend and feel no remorse, but had to act disgusted in a coffee shop in the morning. 

Those indulging moments in clubs were fleeting at best, Alec was always too paranoid to live his secret too extremely. One Saturday evening he nearly blew a guy in a dingy club bathroom, then had to pretend to be grossed out the following day when the same guy saw him out with Lydia and tried flirting with him and bringing up the previous night's events. He never considered it cheating because he always chickened out at the last second, but he decided after that incident that keeping secrets like those would be too hard, so he dropped them altogether. 

Now, though, he had no girlfriend to be caught outside with. He barely talked to his parents anymore, and if he kept anything from Jace and Isabelle, he could get away with those secrets. The idea sparked something in him, a glimmer of excitement that he hadn't felt for a while.

Then he felt stupid. He couldn't get crushes on guys that had broken into his apartment and knocked him out, could he? It made no sense. Besides, he had talked maybe thirty seconds with the man, not long enough at all to develop a crush. Maybe he just had a crush on the idea of doing things he enjoyed for once. Alec sighed, realizing the mess he had made for himself. He decided against calling the cops, and slept for the rest of the day uneasily, until it was time for him to go work a late shift he had taken up.

It passed in a blur that Alec wasn't entirely present during. He kept thinking, _I have freedom now._ He pondered why he had stayed with Lydia for so long. He could have ended it at any time, and yet four years had dragged along, pulling Alec like the undertow in the sea; he had been anchored and dragged under, but he was suddenly breathing again, and it felt good. He felt a little bad for Lydia too, it was four years of her life down the drain. He shrugged the thought away because it was over now, really over. If Lydia came back, Alec wouldn't fall into the same patterns he had grown accustomed to.

When he noticed that he could finally leave the shop, his body surged with panic. He didn't know what to do. If he went back to his apartment, he would just be alone again, and not the good kind of alone he usually enjoyed. He decided to take the longer way home from work, even though the sun had completely set and the street lights only made the gaps between them look darker. His steps came automatically, one foot falling in front of the other, turning corners and passing street signs absently.

He shivered, finally looking up from his concentrated march to nowhere. Except he wasn't nowhere, and he was definitely nowhere close to home. He found himself across the street from a flashing sign that advertised the entrance to a club. He swallowed nervously, throat dry. It wasn't a normal, every-day club. Alec shrugged to himself, figured that there was no harm in going in and having a few drinks, and then found himself showing his I.D to a bouncer that didn't seem to care if Alec was really twenty-one or not. 

The door opened inwardly to a set of stairs, which descended into darkness. There was a single light on the wall going down, and at the bottom was a final door, where Alec could see the patterned lights bouncing around through a tiny window positioned in the center of the door. He could hear the faint thump of music. "You going or not?" The bouncer asked gruffly, startling Alec. Without responding, Alec hurried inside, the front door swinging shut behind him. Alec felt very out of place.

He walked slowly down the stairs, half expecting his parents to jump out from some corner and catch him in the act, like he was doing something wrong. He shook his head and told himself that it was nothing wrong, just a few beers and maybe some dancing. He paused in front of the door that separated him from the actual club. Peaking through the small window, Alec could hardly make out anything clearly. The lights were various hues of purple and blues, dark and swirling, mixing shadows together. He pushed the door open and was engulfed by the thrumming of the bass in some song that was certainly not radio friendly.

He was pushed along naturally through the crowd, and he could only imagine what he looked like to others. He was alone, wide-eyed, and obviously unfamiliar with the whole place. He was also dressed in the same clothes he went to work in: simple jeans and a solid black t-shirt. Not exactly a club outfit.  
He found his way to the bar and bought the first alcoholic beverage he saw, and it came out almost neon green and tasted too much like fruit. Alec drank it anyway, hoping to relax a little bit. Men passed all around him, brushing against him and yelling. The music was too loud to talk at any other level, unless they leaned impossibly close to each other. Which is exactly what some guy did.

"Hey," A voice whispered near Alec's ear, sending panic through his body, nerves jumping. "Sorry, didn't mean to spook you." Alec turned and was greeted by the sight of a man he had never seen before, who smiled with his teeth and had eyes that shone brightly despite the shaded lights of the club.

"It's alright." Alec replied, though not loud enough, causing the stranger to lean in to try and catch his words. Alec promptly backed away slightly. The stranger didn't seem to notice. 

He was very brusque with his flirting, pushing right up against Alec and saying, "You're cute." Which made Alec flush and say a silent thanks for the lights that discolored him. 

"S-so are you." He choked out his reply, only he couldn't really tell through his nervousness. The stranger chuckled and said something else, but Alec missed it. Something- someone - had moved behind him, and Alec was confused at first as to why he noticed when there were people passing all around. It was the man that broke into his apartment. Alec felt angry at the man for some reason, _"he thinks he can break into people's homes and then go party it up at the gay clubs?"_   He thought to himself, still not hearing whatever the stranger flirting with him had been saying. 

The man, the one that broke into his house, didn't seem to be partying much though. He moved across the dance floor practically untouched, slipping through the grinding bodies and sloppy mouths as though he were a ghost. Alec watched, amusement rising to match his anger, as the intruder moved. But then the other stranger was directly in his vision, eyes narrow and searching. "Am I boring 'ya, cutie?" He asked, keeping his voice light and playful despite his annoyance.

"Little bit," Alec mumbled, pushing past him and moving towards the dance floor, following the strange man from earlier. He tried to remember his name, knowing that it was strange. Magnus. That was it.

Alec followed Magnus as he moved through the club. Magnus crouched along the walls, holding something against them as he looked for whatever. Alec wanted to question him, but the music was far too loud to approach him without causing a scene, although Alec did wonder how no other guy was watching the weirdo as he scanned the walls for something. Magnus was walking towards the back exit, and Alec followed, music growing softer as he entered a small hallway that offered more density and less echoing. Magnus pushed open the back door and slipped outside, Alec barely catching it as it closed.

"What are you doing?" He finally asked, voice louder than he originally intended, not realizing that a short time in the loud area had messed up his perception of volume. Magnus was startled by his shout, and spun around, placing his hands behind his back like a guilty child hiding the cookie stolen from the cookie jar. 

Something flickered over Magnus' face, something between confusion and worry, before it went blank again. "You're the boy from the apartment." He said faintly, like he had forgotten.

"Yeah, that's me." Alec replied, ignoring the small hurt he felt at being forgotten by the stranger. "Why are you creeping around the walls like that?"

Magnus blinked, then revealed whatever was behind his back. It looked like a cellphone. Had he stolen it? "I was looking for something." He shrugged.

The answer didn't satisfy Alec, so he pressed on. "What were you looking for?"

"Just-" Magnus was cut off by the device in his hand buzzing loudly. His eyes widened and he turned, practically sprinting away. 

"Hey-!" Alec called after him, moving to catch up. He rounded the same corners as Magnus, knowing that he was headed towards a dead end. As he turned the sixth corner- he had been counting for some reason - he had fallen far behind Magnus, who had surprised Alec with his speed. At the last second, Alec saw Magnus approaching a brick wall that signaled the end of an alley with no exit. He opened his mouth to call out again, but words failed him as he watched Magnus dive towards the wall and disappear through the brick.


	3. Chapter 3

Slowing to a walk, Alec reached the brick wall, stunned. Slowly, almost mechanically, he lifted a hand to it and pressed against the rough brick. It was solid. He leaned with all of his weight, but it didn't budge. Alec shuddered, wanting to get out of the dark alley as soon as possible. The brick had scraped the skin on the palm of his hands, and he winced as cold air hit the exposed wounds. He hurried back to his apartment, only slightly aware of the emptiness of the roads and quietness of the night that seemed to be amplified by whatever had just happened.

Alec met up with his sister two days later. He had practically no time to sit and think about what he saw, because the day after was crammed with classes. Alec finally returned a call from his stubborn sister, who demanded to see him as soon as possible. They met at a restaraunt on-campus, near to where Alec had come from a class. It was his last one for the next two days, and he had been looking forward to going back to his home and just relaxing. He sighed inwardly.

Sisters will be sisters.

Isabelle Lightwood was surprisingly intimidating for her medium build. Alec had grown up with the eye rolls and the scoffs, but to other people she was not a force to be reckoned with. She took a seat opposite of him, her feet dangling over the tile as she perched in the tall chair. Alec eyed her lunch, and saw that it wasn't really a lunch but a smoothie. "Hey." He said, ignoring the urge to chastise her for her lousy money spending skills. 

"Hi, Alec." She replied warmly. Despite her tough exterior, Isabelle definitely loved her siblings. "How have you been?" She was beating around the bush and Alec knew it.

"Look, I know you're here because of Lydia." Alec said, surprising himself with his shortness. 

Isabelle blinked, shocked as well. "I'm not here to talk about her necessarily. I knew from the start that you guys would end." She took a sip of her drink. "I just never imagined you would drag it on for four years."

Alec bristled. "What do you mean?" Both his siblings knew, _they knew,_ but he hated to acknowledge that. Isabelle frowned.

"Alec, I'm not going to try and tell you about yourself." She looked bored. She was two years younger than him, fresh in college and already mature and set in all of the young adult habits that came with the time. At her age, Alec would never be able to be so calm on a college campus, the vastness of the unknown a scary thought to approach.

"There's nothing to tell." Alec finally responded. 

With an arched eyebrow she asked, "What about four years ago?"

"That has nothing to do with anything." Alec snapped. He wanted to run away from her, run and yell at her to shut up and never talk to him again, but he stayed put.

Isabelle only looked at him with sad eyes. "Alec," She spoke softly, no anger or impatience in her voice. "It has everything to do with everything." Alec didn't snap back. He ate chips that he bought earlier and stared out the window, noticed that clouds were turning gray. 

When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and slightly broken. "That doesn't matter." He said. "I've fought it for four years, and it never has to happen again."

At that, Isabelle nearly started crying. "It's not something you have to fight." Her voice was unsteady, something rare for her. "It's not something to be afraid of."

Alec felt very tiny in the campus cafe. He also felt like the conversation was wildely inappropriate for the campus cafe. He told Isabelle that he was tired and wanted to go home, which wasn't a lie at all. She tried one last time to console him. "Mom and dad don't need to control your whole life." She whispered to him as they hugged goodbye. Alec had turned quickly, not wanting to let his little sister see him cry. 

Back in his apartment, Alec sighed. He had meant to talk with Izzy about what he saw with Magnus, but just the thought of the strange man brought a blush to Alec's cheeks and he didn't want to deal with his sister's reaction to that. Her words rang in his ears but he pushed them out of his head, watching as small drops of rain began to cascade down his window. He put his bag down by the coffee table that separated the small couch from the smaller TV, wishing he were anywhere else.

The next family event that was coming up was Easter. Alec didn't understand why his family celebrated it, they weren't religious. Then again, they didn't really do the religious parts. He helped scatter eggs for the smaller kids to find and ate his fair share of chocolate. There was no praying, nothing that symbolized an actual belief, and that's how it always had been for Alec. 

His mom smiled at him and made small talk, and his father eyed him warily from the corners of the rooms they were in. He knew that scenes from four years ago were flashing in both of their minds, but there was nothing he could do about it. Alec was sipping lazily on champagne that his father looked at with disapproval, beer bottle clutched in his hand. One of Alec's younger cousins came up to him with an odd expression. She was young, only seven, so Alec tried to entertain her to the best of his abilities. 

"Alec," She began with her high-pitched voice, skipping all the formal hellos. "I found an egg for you."

Alec smiled and held out his hand, expecting an egg filled with small pieces of individually wrapped chocolates. What he found instead surprised him. He thanked his cousin as she darted away to play with the other young kids. "What's wrong, Alec?" His mother asked, trying to peer over his shoulder at the egg he was given. 

"Nothing's wrong." He muttered, stepping away from her and out of the room, where not even his father's piercing gaze could follow him. 

Once alone, he examined the egg closer. Scrawled on the top half of the plastic yellow thing was his name, printed in crude, childish block letters. Even more confused, he twisted open the egg and a piece of paper fell out. It was a letter, typed instead of hand-written, addressed to Alec. It was a short note that read _I need your help, I hope that is okay. - Magnus B._

Alec flushed and quickly crumpled up the paper, stuffing the trash into the pocket of his jeans. He wondered what the stranger could possibly want his help with, or even how he knew where to find him or what his name was. He drank another glass of champagne before tapping his foot anxiously along with the ticking of the clock, waiting for a good time to leave the event. He tried to avoid alcohol as much as he could, knowing that he would drink too much, but he failed. By the time he was hugging his brother and sister goodbye, the world spun a little oddly and his knees wobbled. 

The walk home was lit by the faint glow of the sunset and the street lights buzzing to life. His brother, Jace, had offered him a ride and Alec declined, wanting to walk off some of the drunkenness he was experiencing. He regretted declining though, as the world began not just spinning but swaying. When he got back to his apartment, he struggled with the lock. An accidental push on the door revealed that it was already opened, and Alec felt his blood turn cold. Had someone broken in?

He entered his house slowly, peeking around ever corner dizzily for any sign of invasion. Everything seemed in order, which made him feel even more uncomfortable. Once he made it past the kitchen to the living room, he saw a figure sitting on his couch. Magnus.

He looked tired, with bags under his coal-rung eyes and hair that was not styled as it had been the previous times Alec had seen him. "Magus?" He slurred out. "Got your egg." 

Magnus offered him a smile, looking at him warily. Everyone seemed to look at him like that lately. "I'm sorry, it was the only way I could contact you."

"You know where I live." Alec motioned around him, swaying with gravity.

"I thought it would be rude to show up uninvited." Magnus replied. Alec frowned, wanting to say that he was still technically uninvited, but was too tired to bother. "Anyways," Magnus pushed up from the couch and took a step towards Alec. "Like my note said, I need your help."

"With what?" Alec asked, blinking slowly. 

Magnus said, "It's a long story."

Under any other circumstance, Alec would invite him to tell his story. At that current time, though, he felt too tired to do anything more than keep his eyes open. "M'tired," Alec groaned, stretching and heading towards his bedroom, leaving Magnus where he stood. 

"It's barely past eight." Magnus argued.

"M'drunk." Alec replied, flopping down on his mattress with a huff. Whatever Magnus was going to argue with next, Alec didn't hear. He passed out, drunkenly snoring and drooling on his pillow.

 

 

 

The sun was too bright. Who gave it permission to shine? Alec blinked against the rays as they shone through his window, spreading over his bed. He sat up, his mouth tasted horrible. As soon as he tried standing up, a wave of nausea ran through him, and he made his way to the bathroom to promptly throw up. As his stomach pressed in on itself, he was faintly aware of someone behind him, watching. "What's wrong?" It was Magnus. He must have stayed all night. Alec wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He turned to look and Magnus seemed in a full-blown panic. "Just a hangover, you know." Alec shrugged, face sweaty but body shivering. 

"No, I-I don't." Magnus said, voice slowly changing from worried to confused.

"You don't drink?"

"Water?"

"No, alcohol." 

Magnus stared at him dumbly. "There is no alcohol where I'm from."

Alec barked out a laugh, his insides rolling. "Maybe I should go to wherever you're from, then." 

This seemed to make Magnus brighten. "You should!" He stepped towards Alec, but then backed up suddenly, aware of the vomit in the air. Alec stood and flushed the toilet, before going to wash his hands and mouth. "In fact, that is why I came back here."

"Why are you talking so formally?" Alec asked, smacking his tongue against the taste in his mouth and fighting the bile rising again in his throat. "I'm not the queen of England."

"I-" Magnus seemed surprised. "This is just how I talk."

Alec straightened up and looked at Magnus in the reflection. "Your formal tone doesn't match your handwriting."

"What do you mean?" Magnus looked a little offended, but then mostly confused.  
"On the egg," Alec clarified. "I was wasted, but I remembered getting your egg. That's probably why I drank so much, nerves."

"You were nervous to have me contacting you?" Magnus asked.

"Not really that part," Alec shrugged. "It's complicated." He made his way out of the bathroom, brushing against Magnus who didn't seem to understand that he had to move out of the way. Throwing on clean pants and a shirt that smelled the least dirty, Alec sauntered out to his living room. Magnus had been trailing him, awkwardly unsure of what to do with himself. "You hungry?" Magnus glanced outside, it was dark. Alec managed to mess up his sleeping schedule by sleeping so late. "It's nearly dinner time." Alec added. "So I'm going to order takeout." 

As Alec talked into the phone, ordering random items since Magnus didn't seem to know what anything was, he busied himself with not looking at Magnus at all. Alec knew that the other man was attractive, and told himself that it was perfectly normal for a guy to acknowledge when another guy is attractive. He felt like it was less normal for a guy to picture kissing said other guy. Alec ordered more food than he originally intended to, due to the fact that talking on the phone with the delivery person meant less time talking to Magnus. When he finally hung up, he saw that Magnus was no longer invading his space but sitting on the couch, staring oddly at the TV remote.

"Feel free to watch TV," Alec called to him through the opening of the kitchen's wall. 

"No, thank you." Magnus replied. "I wanted to speak with you, like my note said."

Alec sighed and decided it was time to face the music. He stepped out from the kitchen and saw the serious look on Magnus' face and felt panicked. What could this man possibly want from him? Alec felt very exposed at that moment, and very scared. He had a perfect stranger in his home, a man that probably spent the night after Alec had passed out, and now he was ordering Chinese takeout and making small talk. "Okay." Alec waited for Magnus to talk.

"I'm just going to come right out and say it." Magnus said, more to himself than to Alec. "I am-I'm from the future."

Alec felt his heart drop. He really did have a crazy guy in his house. 

Magnus saw the negative shift in Alec's expression and hurried on with his pre-planned speech. "It is the truth, and I can prove it. I am from about three-hundred years in the future and I can take you."

"I think you need to leave my home." Alec said, voice surprisingly calm. Magnus paled, obviously having hoped for a different response. 

"Alexander-"

"My name is Alec. Now, please." He motioned towards the door, mentally punching himself for correcting the guy on his name. So what if it was just a nickname, it's what he really went by.

"I'm not crazy, and I know you want to believe me." Magnus said, regaining composure that he had momentarily lost.

Alec opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. He groaned and went to see who was bothering him. It was the food he had ordered. He muttered a thank you to the girl and took the large paper bag of food from her, handing her the money in exchange. He kicked the door shut with his heel, spinning to see a confused looking Magnus staring at the bag in his hand. "The food I ordered." Alec said by way of answering the unspoken question.

"What did you give her for all of this?" Magnus asked, eyeing the bag warily.

Alec blanched. "Money."

Magnus frowned at the answer but asked no more about it, just followed Alec into the living room. Alec was never big on watching TV- that was always Lydia's thing, staying up late into the night watching reality shows that seemed to be all drama and no substance. In that moment, however, Alec was desperate to avoid looking at the man that seemed to be doing everything in his power to be in Alec's space. 

"I ordered stuff randomly. Help yourself, since you're not leaving I guess." Alec didn't fear Magnus anymore; he figured that if he was going to hurt him, it would have happened already. There were worse things in the world than sharing Chinese takeout with a cute guy that could possibly be a little crazy. Alec paused, reflecting on the fact that he had just thought of Magnus as cute. In the past, if he had thought a boy was cute he would have shied away from the thought. But just then, it felt slightly freeing. He had no girlfriend, no parents breathing down his neck. But then he felt a twisting feeling in his stomach and he focused on the Chinese food instead. Magnus stared at the different cartons of food. Alec realized that there was an Asiatic appearance to his face, then felt dumb for noticing in that circumstance. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed the other man's physique before; the high cheekbones that glittered with makeup curving smoothly up to below his eyes, which were a soft brown color. Everything about his face looked smooth.

Alec chewed on food mostly out of habit. It didn't necessarily have any flavor, and he was so adamant on not noticing Magnus that he rushed, burning his tongue on the still-hot food. "How'd you know my name?" Alec asked around the burning food. He chanced a glance at Magnus, who was trying to scoop up noodles with a singular chopstick.

"What do you mean?" He questioned as the noodles slipped back into the bowl.

"My name." Alec repeated. "You wrote it on the egg." An image flashed in his mind, the shaky, uncertain letters on the plastic. "Or maybe not? The letters seemed like they were written by a kid. Maybe it was just my cousin."

A blush rose on Magnus' cheeks. "I-It's a long story, like I said." He mumbled. He paused, collecting himself. Once he spoke again, his voice was more sure. "It was me who wrote your name, who made the letter." His eyes flicked down, away from Alec's curious gaze. "I had just never used an actual writing utensil before."

Alec narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I told you." Magnus was beginning to sound frustrated. "I'm from the future."

"That doesn't make any sense." Alec shook his head. He thought that maybe he should argue harder against the stranger, force him out of his apartment, but he just didn't have the energy. Distantly, he heard his phone ding with a text message.

"I can prove it." Magnus said. "I can take you there." Alec thought back to the night outside of the club, of Magnus jumping into the brick wall and disappearing. He felt nervous.

"I remember, from that club..." Alec admitted, letting his voice trail off.

"Ah, yes. Sorry for running off on you then. There was an emergency." 

"What kind of emergency?" 

Magnus took a breath before explaining. "My friend was stuck and needed help. He was born some years before me, but was stuck interdimensionally." The explanation flew over Alec's head, but he found himself nodding along anyway. "What you saw me jump into was like a portal that carried me from one time to the next."

"A time machine?" Alec asked.

"Almost. Time machines are more reliable. If I had one then, I wouldn't have been running around looking for a portal-"

"That's what you were looking for?" Alec interjected.

"Well, I was really looking for a large pool of energy that could be manipulated into a portal."

Alec felt winded, like he had forced himself to run a marathon with no training. There was confusion, fear, and anxiety, all battling in his hyperventilating chest. "This is a lot to process." He finally said. "And I don't even know if I believe you."

"Then let me prove it." Magnus smiled gently.

"Like, take me through a portal?" 

"Actually," Magnus began, pushing up from the couch. "I have a machine." Alec opened his mouth to ask where, but Magnus reached out to his side. It was like watching a mime with sound effects. His hand flattened against- the air? There was a hollow _thump_ as his hand hit what sounded like metal. Alec felt his face contort with confusion. As he stared, the air seemed to shimmer, like scenery behind a fire's smoke. "I don't understand." He said monotonously. 

"Well, it's invisible because it is my understanding that this technology has not been invented in your time." Magnus said.

"Time machines?" Alec was shocked, tentively taking a step forward, afraid of hitting something. "Yeah, that's all fictitious."

Magnus moved his hand, hitting something else and making the air shimmer into something more physical, but still distant. "This is my time machine." He smiled like he was proud of it. He made a motion of opening a door and motioned for Alec to enter. Slowly, Alec walked toward the shimmering air. After about ten steps, his foot went down with a metallic clang. He looked up and saw white everywhere, like a light was being shined directly into his eyes. Magnus brushed behind him, reminding him to keep walking. The door closed behind him with a click of finality, and the brightness dimmed.

"You may want to take a seat." Magnus said from somewhere near Alec. Everything felt off; the light was still too bright, Magnus seemed far away, and the hum of the machine seemed alive and attacking Alec's ears. "Sorry, you get used to everything."

"What is..." Alec wasn't sure what exactly to ask about. The lights? The sounds?

Magnus seemed to understand. "Time isn't really happening in here." He said. "The lights, sounds, even me moving in your line of sights, it's all obscured by the fact that there is no clock controlling them."

The explanation still made little sense to Alec, but he accepted it nonetheless, taking a seat on the tiled floor. "There are chairs," Magnus said, a slight chuckle in his voice.

"I don't trust them to actually be where I see them." Alec said honestly.

"Fair enough." Magnus said as he turned his back and pressed buttons that Alec hadn't noticed before. "Time to go home." The machine errupted with even more noise. There was a falling sensation in the pit of Alec's stomach, like a never ending rollercoaster. He opened his mouth to scream, but the noise was ripped from his throat and air rushed into his chest, expanding his lungs impossibly far. He was jerked down by a sudden slam of gravity, his back hitting the tiles that felt like hot coals on his bare skin.

Then all at once, the sensations ended and everything felt normal. 

The machine seemed burned out, the lights dim and the hum low. "Next time I think I'll take a chair." Alec coughed, clearing his clouded lungs. Magnus chuckled, offering Alec a hand to stand up. The two moved towards the exit, Magnus opening the door with a flare, like he was presenting a prized possession.

Daylight streamed in, and Alec blinked reflexively against it. It was nearing dark, the sun hanging low in the sky. Red spilled over the clouds, tinging the earth. Alec did a double take. The earth was barren, as if they had landed in a desert. "Are we in California or something?" Alec asked. He had never even been outside of New York.

"No, this is still New York- well, the are that was called New York in your time." Magnus said, frowning. His eyes were shining. Alec thought of the New York winter he had experienced just months before, the wasteland in front of him couldn't be his same home. He felt Magnus behind him, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the landscape in front of him.

The future was bleak.


	4. Chapter 4

Magnus exited the machine, his feet hitting the sandy ground with a thud that sent up plumes of dust to the quickly dimming sky. "Come on," He called back to Alec, who was frozen in the doorway, standing with his mouth slightly agape. "Alec." Magnus repeated, slight frown on his face.

Alec stirred from his stupor. "This is wrong."

"No," Magnus shook his head sadly. "This is home."

"Where are the trees? The grass? Anything?"

"Look, the sun is low so the heat isn't a problem right now, but we have to get moving. We need to get cover before nightfall, and then I'll explain everything." Magnus' voice was thick with anxiety. Alec wanted to question him further, ask what happens at night, but the serious tone of his voice and the pleading look in his eyes moved Alec forward. His feet hit the ground.

He had visited the beach before, and he remembered how the sand had shifted under his feet as cold Atlantic water lapped at his toes. He felt dangerously unbalanced whereas Magnus seemed to be perfectly comfortable on the strange terrain. Alec let Magnus grab his wrist and pull him along. If he hadn't been so distraught by his surroundings, Alec would have pulled away and refused the contact, but the shifting sand under his feet made him return Magnus' grip.  
Magnus seemed to hardly be paying attention to Alec. His eyes were glued to the sky as he watched the sun on its descent, the red rays of dying light streaking the familiar yet alien sky like slashes of blood on a pale body. The silence made Alec wary, so he decided to ask, "What happens at night?"

Magnus bristled at the question. When he glanced over his shoulder at Alec, his eyes were shining with sadness. "Raiders." He answered, almost too quietly for Alec to register that he had even said anything. Alec didn't know what Raiders were, but he had a feeling that he didn't want to find out. Instead he asked Magnus how far they had to walk, to which Magnus said, "Not too far. I miscalculated some things in my excitment. We may want to start running-"

His words were cut off by a piercing wail. It wasn't a human noise, and Alec flinched. He heard Magnus curse under his breath and felt a sharp tug on his hand, causing him to nearly fall flat on his face. Magnus was running, expertly navigating the sand and wind as if they weren't obstacles at all. Alec slipped, felt a sharp sting as grains of sand scraped his bare skin, but then scrambled to his feet. He didn't know what they were running from, and that made his fear worse. He realized that he could hardly see anything- the sun had set. He was about to open his mouth to shout his fears to Magnus, but then felt the ground disappear from beneath him. He fell for a short time before landing hard on his feet, scrambling forward to catch himself. He failed. 

Alec rolled from to his back, watching as Magnus hurried to close a trapdoor. The night sky vanished, and he blinked in the overwhelming darkness. He coughed, sand filling his lungs and threatening to choke him. Then he called out for Magnus, afraid without him in the unfamiliar place. Brightness came from next to him, and he saw that Magnus had turned on lights. Alec was surprised by that. From the second he had seen the apocalyptic wasteland, he never would have guessed that electricity was still a thing. Magnus rushed to kneel next to Alec, eyes wide with worry.

"I am so sorry, Alexander-"

"Alec." He corrected through a cough.

"- I should have been more careful with the machine. I was so excited to bring you to my home that I didn't pay attention to the time and-"

Alec held up a hand to cut him off. "It's okay, Magnus. Really." He wanted to ask about the Raiders, but Magnus was reaching toward his face and Alec had to stop from flinging himself back. 

"You're bleeding." Magnus muttered, fingers touching Alec's forehead and sending a stab of pain through his scalp. "Sit tight. I'll be back to clean you up." Alec blinked, taking in his new surroundings as Magnus hurried away. He noticed a window, and then slowly realized that he was in a house. Looking back up, he saw the tiled pattern of a roof. The window was covered mostly with sand, and Alec figured he was on the second floor, that the sand had burried the house. Through the sliver of glass, Alec saw a small moon, a speck in the vast sky.

Suddenly, Magnus returned with a damp cloth in his hand and an apology on his lips. He set to work immediately, trying to be as gently with Alec as possible even though the wound was far from deep or serious. He was leaning close enough that Alec was able to see the fine details of Magnus' face, so he closed his eyes before any blush could rise on his cheeks. "Why is the moon so small?" He asked by way of distracting himself.

"It's drifting away." Magnus answered. The thought made Alec shudder, which prompted Magnus to click his tongue and say, "Hold still." The cloth still stung, Alec knew that head wounds bled badly even when the cut wasn't deep, and blood dripped down his face only slightly diluted by the water. Eventually, Magnus sat back, realizing that he had done everything he could do.

"Thank you." Alec said, voice just a whisper. Magnus was staring at him oddly, and Alec felt his face warming. "I think I like my New York better." He tried to joke to get Magnus to look away, but his stare just hardened. Their hands were close, the damp rag grazing Alec's fingers. "What's wrong?" He asked Magnus, ignoring the urge to reach out and smooth back the strands of hair that had fallen in the other man's face. He settled for grabbing his hand, hoping that it was a friendly enough act and nothing more.

When Magnus finally spoke, his voice was uneven. "When I first traveled to your time, I never intended to bring anything back."

"Well, at first you didn't." Alec told him. "After that night at the club, I didn't see you for a few months.

Magnus was a much braver man than Alec, grabbing the younger boy's hand completely and twining their fingers together, letting his thumb gently move against Alec's skin. "I didn't know it was a long time. I'm always in a new day."

Alec could sense that the whole ordeal upset Magnus. "If it makes you so sad, why do you keep travelling?"

"It's my job." Magnus shrugged.

Before he could elaborate further, there was a loud crash, sending the two boys away from each other with a jolt of nerves. Magnus stood and went to the window, standing on his toes to peer out over the pile of sand. "Raiders," He whispered. "We have to get deeper inside. Sometimes one room isn't enough to satisfy their need to search."

He knelt down slightly and pulled Alec to his feet before leading him out of the room. They descended stairs and Alec could see the faint glint of light off of glass windows completely covered in sand. Alec didn't know how many times he had asked about the Raiders before, but he repeated his question again. "What's a Raider?"

"People that feel like living isn't worth it anymore." Magnus said. "The war messed a lot of people up."

"There was a war?"

Magnus paused outside of a door, fiddling with what sounded like a key before it pushed open with a groan that sent shivers up Alec's spine. "There _is_ a war. Right now. Good guys versus bad guys."

The room was as dark as the last, but that time Magnus had no intention of turning on lights. Their hands were sweaty, but Alec refused to let go of the other's, afraid of losing him in the engulfing dark. "Which one are you?" He asked, swallowing nervously.

"What do you mean?" Alec heard a click, like a bolt sliding into place.

"Are you a good guy or bad guy?" Alec clarified.

"Well," Magnus chuckled. "That depends on who you ask. I'm on one side, but to the other I'm the bad guy." 

His explanation was confusing, but Alec was growing accustomed to the vagueness. Silence filled the room, the only tie Alec had to reality being the hand in his. He felt panicked, his chest tight and his lungs hard to expand, but he remained quiet, feeling the urgency of doing so in the very thickness of the air. He heard pounding footsteps, and Magnus tensed next to him, his nails digging into Alec's skin. There was a lot of screaming, a lot of crashing. Magnus was muttering under his breath, words that Alec couldn't quite catch. Slowly, the noise faded and the silence returned, amplified in the absence of the recent noise.

Alec heard Magnus exhale, his whole body relaxing down to his killer grip. At that, Alec let himself relax, too. "I can't turn on the light, I'm sorry." Magnus finally said. "If they were to return, the light would just tip them off that we're here."

"How do you sleep at night?" Alec asked. "I'd be scared to death."

"I'm typically not here at night." Magnus replied. "I like going to Victorian London." Alec thought that that time was random, but couldn't speak with any experience of his own. 

"So, are we going to leave?" 

Magnus shook his head, remembered that Alec couldn't see him, and then said "No, it's too dangerous to leave this room. It's well hidden from Raiders, so we'll have to sleep here tonight." Alec felt Magnus' hand leave his, and involuntarily made a noise of protest. "Don't worry, I'm just getting a blanket and something to lay your head on."

Alec strained his ears to make up for his lack of vision and heard Magnus' footsteps as his boots hit the ground, moving away and then back towards Alec. He wondered how Magnus could navigate in the darkness. He felt fabric fall over his shoulders. "I only have this old jacket." Magnus said. "For you to fold up as a pillow, if you want."

"Won't you be cold?" Alec asked.

"I'll survive." Magnus said, but Alec felt bad taking all of his warmth. 

"No, you keep the jacket. We can share the blanket too if you want."

Magnus paused for a moment, thinking. "If that's alright with you?"

Alec nodded, remembering sleepovers with friends and telling himself it was the same deal, just with a hot guy that was practically a stranger. There was shuffling as the two arranged themselves, and then Alec was laying flat against hard floor that felt like wood, with Magnus pressed close to him. Magnus had been right to get a blanket. The cold seeped through the floor and attacked Alec, making him shiver though he tried to still himself so he wouldn't disturb Magnus. 

He felt a hand snake its way into his, and his heart leaped out of his chest. Magnus held his hand, warming his cold fingers once more. Alec suddenly remembered his life back in _his_ New York, his classes, his job, his family. Three hundred years meant they were all technically dead.

That he was technically dead. 

"Magnus," Alec spoke, not totally sure if he was still awake. "I have a class tomorrow. Er, well, tomorrow three hundred years ago." He tried explaining, mind thick with sleep and worry.

"I have a time machine," Magnus yawned. "I won't let you miss any classes." 

Magnus was used to the danger of his time, and fell asleep easily though lightly, always ready to move at a moments notice. Alec was more restless, too focused on the body against his and the way it was different than Lydia's had ever been. What he could tell was that Magnus was hard where she was soft, strong where she was pliant. He eventually gave in and curled closer to the man, drifting off into an uneasy sleep plagued with dreams of screaming people trying to break into the room. 

"Alec," A voice whispered in his ear. For a moment, Alec was stuck in a dream and it was Lydia whispering to him. Alec felt a sinking feeling in his chest, thinking that Magnus had been a fleeting dream, that he was stuck where he had always been. Lydia kept saying his name, gently shaking him, until his eyes sprang open and he sat up, breathing hard. He looked around. The room was still dark, but he understood that it was Magnus with him, and he was three-hundred years in the future. 

"It's morning." Magnus said. "Let's get going."

Alec eagerly jumped up, letting the blanket fall from his body. Magnus guided him back to the room where the light was shining, and Alec could see the dark circles clinging to Magnus' eyes as if he hadn't slept at all. Despite this, Alec was still struck by his beauty. "So, I was thinking of taking you into the city-"

"No." Alec shook his head vigorously. "Look, you brought me here to convince me you're really from the future. I'm convinced."

For a moment, Magnus seemed a little disappointed, but quickly wiped the expression from his face. "Alright." He smiled slightly. 

"I just want to go back to my house." He said. A small part of him felt bad, he could tell that Magnus wanted to show him around. "We can come back whenever, you're a time traveler after all." He added a wink to emphasize the joking tone. To his surprise, Magnus didn't respond in his typical joking manor but instead blushed. The tables had turned. 

Magnus composed himself quickly, clearing his throat and turning his head to look out of the window. "Well, lets head back to my machine and get you home. We'll talk more there."

"Sounds good." Alec nodded. 

The walk back to Magnus' time machine had no hand holding. The two seemed to try harder to leave distance between each other, much to the dismay of both. Alec saw the shimmer in the air quickly since he knew what to look for. He took a seat then, not wanting to get thrown around again. Magnus was right, the noise and extremity of everything else wasn't as bad the second time around. The lights flashed, the machine whirred and then everything stilled. "Well, here we are, 2016-"

Magnus sucked in air, looking at something. When Alec looked, he saw that part of the machine was see-through, something he hadn't noticed before. It must have been one-way, because on the other side Alec saw himself, standing next to Lydia. Magnus checked something, cursed, and told Alec that he went too far back. "Too distracted with you." He muttered, but Alec didn't really register the words. The scene unfolding in front of him was captivating. He was decorating a Christmas tree, Lydia dancing around as Jingle Bell Rock filled the air. Next to him, Magnus was humming.

"You know this song?" Alec asked.

"Of course." Magnus said, returning to humming along. Alec was slightly comforted by the fact that through the years, Jingle Bell Rock survived. He returned his attention to his past-self. By his hair cut and clothing style, he could see that this wasn't something that happened a long time ago; it was only two years in his past, his first Christmas in college. His apartment was the same, a little more bare because his move had been so new at the time. He watched as his past self hung ornaments, watched how Lydia tried to pull him along into a dance. 

Alec could see the distant look in his own eyes, even all those years ago, haunting him and leaving shadows underneath. He noticed that he was thinner, he remembered eating less in the first few years after everything that happened. The third year was a little better, but then again better was a relative term when it came to the total experience. He was vaguely aware of Magnus next to him and reached out for him, slightly sick from watching the scene. "Get me out of here." He said, voice cracking with anxiety.

"What's wrong? They can't see us." Magnus shrugged.

Alec knew what was coming, had the memory of this day stored away in the very back of his mind. He watched as Lydia intercepted him on his way to the tree with ornaments in his hands, watched as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes, watched as her lips hit his, watched as his past self flinched and left his eyes open. 

He finally had enough. "Magnus, seriously. Go."

The machine came back to life and the image in front of him began fading, until all that was in front of him was bright white. Alec felt sick, breathing hard. He couldn't believe- couldn't _understand_ how he had used that girl for four years, how he could live that life. It was all a lie, all a waste.

When they finally got back to the right time, Alec nearly collapsed from exhaustion. "Time travel can be tiring." Magnus said, though he seemed different. Distant. Alec couldn't balme him. He was leading Magnus on with hand-holding and winks and blushes, and yet just witnessed a seemingly heterosexual make-out session.

Alec's eyes were heavy but he forced himself to stay awake. "Let's go for a walk." He said to Magnus, who reluctantly agreed. It was midday and the sun was bright in the sky. There was no bleeding red, no sand in sight. Alec led Magnus to a coffee shop and ordered for the both of them, the sugary versions of the simple drink foreign to Magnus. They drank in silence, but Alec wanted nothing more than to talk to Magnus. "So, why did you come back?"

Magnus was surprised by the question. "Back?" He asked.

"I mean, why did you search me out? After the club."

Magnus' cheeks were faintly pink, but Alec tried not to think anything of it. "Well, as you probably noticed, I miscalculate a lot when I travel." He began sheepishly. "But I always, _always_ get the place right. I might be off by a few years, but I'm always where I want to be. With you..." His voice trailed off, the rest filling itself in for Alec. "That's why you passed out. Because I was never supposed to be in your house, and all of that energy hit you." 

"So I was an anomaly." Alec said, voice matching the bitterness of his drink.

"You were...a surprise." Magnus countered after a thoughtful pause. 

"Alec!" A voice called in the distance. When Alec looked, he saw bright red hair and a blinding smile. It was Clary, Jace's girlfriend. She bounded over, Jace right behind, their place in line to order coffee forgotten. 

"Hi, guys." Alec smiled, a genuine smile that he hadn't pulled in a while. 

"We haven't seen you in forever." Clary said. 

"Yeah, dude. How've you been?" Jace asked, looking between his brother and Magnus. "Heard about Lydia-" Jace was cut off by Clary sharply pinching his thigh. 

"And it's none of our business." She quickly said.

"It's alright, Clary." Alec smiled. He and Clary were close, and he appreciated her trying to defend him. "Yeah, she broke up with me."

"Well, you seem to be doing...fine." Jace said, eyes again dragging between the two boys seated at the table. 

"Oh, this is Magnus." Alec said, remembering his manners. "My friend." He added at Jace's questioning look. 

"Magnus, that's a nice name. What's it from?"

"My mother?" Magnus answered, genuinely confused by the question. Clary's smile faltered, but then she was back to normal in an instant, letting out a small chuckle. 

"Good to hear Alec has a friend with a sense of humor."

"I-" Magnus tried to say that he hadn't been meaning to be funny at all, but Alec beat him to it. "Magnus is foreign, new on campus. I'm just showing him around, helping him get used to New York and everything." 

"Where're you from?" Jace asked, and Alec wanted to punch him. 

Magnus was quick to answer. He said the name of a city Alec had never heard of, but he figured that it was the name of New York in the future. Jace seemed doubtful, but accepted the story. "Well," Clary spoke up, breaking the silence before if could get awkward. "We should get going. We're here if you want to talk, Alec. Nice to meet you Magnus." Jace said a slightly less formal goodbye before the two turned back to get coffee. 

"Who were they?" Alec asked. 

"My brother and his girlfriend." 

"You don't look related." Magnus said.

"He's adopted." Alec shrugged.

All Magnus said in response was "Ah." 

Alec watched out of the corner of his eye as Jace and Clary waited on their coffee. They were wrapped up in each other, holding hands and sharing the occasional kiss. Alec blushed and looked away, reminded too harshly of the scene he had watched minutes before. "So, tell me about your home and everything." Alec said, taking another sip of his hot drink. "You promised to explain."

"Right." Magnus nodded. His drink was already gone, the sugary syrup making him drink faster than usual. "Well, I wasn't born before the war started. It's been going on my whole life. It's about humanity, saving it and all that. A lot of people have different ideas on how to do that, and so when they are challenged by someone else's ideology, it can get messy."

"Why does Earth look like that?" Alec asked, fully knowing the answer. Since Kindergarten, he had been taught about global warming. Teachers had instructed to turn the lights off when you left the room and to not leave the refrigerator open. 

Magnus frowned. "People never believed earth was dying, until it died."

Despite knowing the answer, Alec still teared up at the words. He glanced outside, at the leaves on the trees blowing in the wind, imagining the world where they no longer grow. "So, what's your job? Why are you always travelling?"

"Because it's better than staying there." Magnus said, reaching to take another drink of his coffee before remembering it was gone. Alec pushed his toward him. "And I get paid handsomely when I do the right thing."

"The right thing?" Alec pressed.

"Whatever mission someone wants to pay me for."

Alec narrowed his eyes. "That note you sent me, about needing my help. You didn't really need any help at all, did you?"

Magnus smiled. "You caught me." His grin was lopsided, and Alec found it endearing.

"Why me?"

"Like I said, I never get the place wrong, so I figured there had to be a reason for me ending up in your home." 

Alec tried to think of more questions. Coming up with nothing, he invited Magnus to walk with him more. He didn't want to take any naps and mess up his sleeping schedule- he still had that class tomorrow- and he figured Magnus would enjoy seeing New York when it wasn't a sand-filled, desolate place.  
They walked for about two hours, slowly striding along on the edges of sidewalks as people rushed by, phones pressed to ears and minds self-centered. By the time they looped around back in the direction of Alec's house, it was dinner time. Neither boy felt hungry, so they set up camp at a park, gazing up at the sky. "I never get to do this." Magnus said, leaning his head on Alec's shoulder. "Not at home, and definitely not on missions. Just enjoying the sky. It's nice." 

"Magnus," Alec began, not really thinking at all. He didn't want to push anything, do anything to make Magnus uncomfortable. 

"Who was that girl?" Magnus asked suddenly.

"Which one? Clary? I told you, my brother's girlfriend-"

"No, the one that kissed you." Magnus said. 

"Oh." Alec's heart dropped a little. He didn't want to talk about Lydia, not with Magnus. "She is- was- my girlfriend. It's a long story." He sighed. 

Magnus seemed tense next to Alec, pulling out blades of grass and rubbing them in between his fingers before casting them aside and repeating the process. He seemed upset. ALec decided to change the topic. "So, you've traveled all over the place and you've never written anything before?"

A small smile tugged on Magnus' lips. "Never had to."

"How come you know so little about this time? Surely you've traveled here before." 

"No," Magnus shook his head. "I had only been to the 21st century once before and that was just for a brief pit-stop."

"Well, you've been missing out." Alec smiled. He knew that on some level he was flirting, but it felt different with Magnus. Maybe because when it came to flirting with him, Alec wouldn't be the only boy blushing. 

"Oh, how did I ever survive without meeting Alexander-" Magnus paused, waiting for Alec to fill in.

"Lightwood."

"Alexander Lightwood." Magnus repeated. Hearing his name sent a shiver up Alec's spine, Magnus' voice low. 

Alec blushed, then cursed everything for blushing when he had had the upper hand for so long. Magnus chuckled and Alec stood, saying that he wanted to go home. "You're welcome to stay, if you want."

Magnus smiled. "I have something I need to do, but I'll be back soon."

Alec didn't know how to say goodbye. They walked back to the apartment together, but then Magnus stepped into his machine. There was an awkward handshake followed by an even more awkward hug that Alec wanted to trade for a kiss. Instead, he heard Magnus' machine come to life and then fade until nothing remaind but the sound of traffic outside and the rush of blood in his ears. 


	5. Chapter 5

Magnus stood inside of his machine, trying to cool his cheeks, watching Alec as he headed to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Magnus pressed buttons, forcing himself to focus so he would get both the time and place input correctly. The machine brightened, overheating from so much use. Then, he was three-hundred years away from Alec, but in the past. Outside of his machine, beach winds blew and ocean waves crashed. He took a deep breath. _A remote island,_  He thought, taking his time with heading to the exit. _Perfect place to meet with your murderous ex-girlfriend, Magnus._

Magnus stepped out, his feet sinking into the sand and reminding him of his home. About fifty yards ahead, he could see a figure laying in the sand tanning. His chest tightened and his eyes stung. It was his long-extinguished old flame Camille, and she looked just as menacing as always. She was spread out on a towel of sorts on the sand looking well out of place; her designer sunglasses and two-hundred dollar bikini made her stick out like a sore thumb. It didn't matter though, the island was vacant at that time. Magnus called out to her.

She lifted the sunglasses, pushing her sun-lightened hair out of her face. "Magnus," She called back, wicked smile spreading on her face and exposing her canine teeth. "Finished my mission so soon?" 

"Actually," Magnus began, looking anywhere but at her. "I'm here to terminate our business."

The announcement turned Camille's smile into a poisonous frown. "Excuse me?"

"I have the money you paid in advance, none of it spent." Magnus pushed on, pulling out the envelope of cash he had been paid just a few weeks ago.

"Why are you doing this?" Camille asked, anger in her voice and not an ounce of actual curiosity.

Magnus paused, Alec's worried eyes flashing in his mind. "Too dangerous." He ended up shrugging.

"Dangerous." Camille echoed, mocking. "When has danger ever stopped the Great Magnus _Bane?"_

"Surprisingly, not everyone shares your death wish." Magnus replied, knowing that she was just baiting him, working him up on purpose to get the upper hand-

"So that's it? We've traveled from the beginning to the end of time together, and now you're done?" For a second- just a short second- Magnus felt bad.  
Then he snapped out of it. "We traveled together, but you only used me. So I have only been using you for your money. We're even." He smirked. They stayed frozen for a few moments, staring each other down. Magnus was used to Camille's stare making him feel small and vulnerable, his stomach twisting even though he refused to let it show on his face. 

"Very well," She snapped finally, breaking her gaze and staring out over the water. Magnus wasted no extra time on goodbyes, turning to go. Before he could walk more than two steps, Camille called out again. "Magnus," her voice dripped like honey out of her mouth, poisoned honey that would kill. "Whoever it is you're giving up your _'dangerous'_ missions for, just remember that people who have not been through our time will not love you easily."

She pulled that card often, telling Magnus that he was unlovable, and though the novelty had faded the pain of the words hadn't. He paused but said nothing in return. He took long strides back to his machine, feeling lighter than he had during his approach to Camille. He entered the timeless space that felt so familiar to him and breathed deeply. 

He wanted to see Alec, but did not want to bother him too much. In the end, Magnus decided to stop home and spend time there. In retrospect, he could travel to Alec a few days in the future to put space between their last encounter, but Magnus would hate to cheat him like that- making him wait while Magnus saw him whenever he pleased. That had always been a big struggle for Magnus, having the power to see someone during any time of their life but knowing that for the other person, the drag of time would be lonely and hard, not a quick jump from one day to the next. 

He traveled to the day that he and Alec had left, appearing in the safe house in the middle of the day. It was dark, light shining through the sliver of glass left exposed, small specks of dust dancing in the rays. The hideout was about a mile away from the city, which was where Magnus wanted to go. He had information, and now that he was no longer going through with Camille's terrible missions- he shuddered at the very thought of them- he needed to do something to make up for the lost money.

Magnus had gathered a lot of valuable information over his time travelling. He just didn't mention one thing to Alec when he was explaining everything: his machine was illegal, and his expeditions could cost him his life. To use a time machine, one had to go through a whole process of declaring their desired date and location and then getting approved. Tons of people took the illegal route of "borrowing" a time machine and "forgetting" to return it, but that didn't change the fact that it was illegal to do so. 

He needed his city's money, though. It was specially invented to transform into whatever the correct currency is for any place he would travel to. So he got ready to head to the city. He lined his eyes with his stolen pencil and wrapped an old, tattered scarf around his neck and face to help keep sand out. He wrapped up his hair as well, a common fashion that aided in hiding a little part of his identity. 

The walk wasn't too long, only about an hour if he stuck to the shadows and crept along, quicker if he wanted to take a chance in the heat of the direct sun. As he climbed over a dune, the skyline of the city loomed before him, sending a wave of sadness through him. He couldn't help but think of Alec, in the same city but three-hundred years away. He slid down the hill, landing gracefully on the outskirts, hand poised over the gun tucked into his pants. He wouldn't dare shoot at any government officials, but everyone else was game. 

There was only one place that had what he was looking for and that wouldn't turn him over- hopefully. He made his way deeper into the city, where there was less sand piled up and the ancient roads could be seen through the dust. He turned corner after corner, passed brick after brick until he finally saw that relic of a sign, only visible by the wiring that no longer worked. It was the club that Alec had seen him in all those months ago, only now it was a run-down bar where shady deals could be made for all sorts of things. 

He pushed in, walked down the steps that led to the main room, and scanned the crowd of people for a familiar eye. There was one person he had in mind to talk to, an older man named Ragnor Fell that helped Magnus when he could. There was a haze of dancing men and woman; some for money, others for pleasure. Past that crowded seen was a semi-packed bar where illegal alcohol was being bought, stuff Magnus had never tried and the same stuff he saw Alec throw up the day after Easter. 

Behind the bar, eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect of cons stood Fell, his gray hair shining under the lights. Magnus pushed past bodies that swarmed and tried to pickpocket, until he was face-to-face with the friend he hadn't seen in a while. "Magnus!" Ragnor exclaimed giddily, always happy to see his friend.

"Ragnor, long time no see." 

"Time is a relative term for you." Ragnor replied, pushing a glass of beer towards him, which Magnus declined. "What brings you to my part of town?"

"I have information that I'm willing to trade for payment, and I trust you not to rat." Magnus explained. His words definitely caught the other man's attention. 

"Information?"

Magnus lowered his voice when he said, "Raider information." 

Ragnor's eyes widened and he nodded, signalling to a man behind him to take over his position as he talked to Magnus in a back room. The two rooms were separated by only a thin cloth, but it still made a world of difference to Magnus, who could be locked up if the wrong person heard. "Please tell me you haven't been collecting information for people." Ragnor said as soon as the curtain fell. His voice was a panicked whisper.

Magnus quickly shook his head. "Of course not. I just ran out of options, and need a little to tide me over until another mission comes along." He explained.

"Camille ran out of enemies?" Fell asked, one fuzzy eyebrow raised.

"She'll never run out of enemies." Magnus said bitterly. "Look, Ragnor, I can explain everything." Magnus paused, but Ragnor said nothing, only waited for the promised explanation. "I-I was on a mission, and you know how I sometimes get the time off by a few hours but never anything more than that?"

"Well of course, that's a problem even veteran travelers have, not even the highest rate machine is perfect." Ragnor said.

"Right. Well, you know that I never get the place wrong." 

"That would be a beginner's mistake." Ragnor frowned, quick mind piecing together Magnus' story.

"I know." Magnus grimaced. "But it happened. I wasn't distracted, wasn't thinking of anything or pressing the wrong buttons, but it happened and I-I ended up in the wrong place."

Magnus saw Ragnor's eyes widen microscopically, but his friend's voice remained even. "Well, were you okay? It was no where dangerous, right?"

"I was- am - fine." Magnus told him. "But where I ended up, the person I bumped into, I kept running into him. Only one other time he saw me too, but I kept seeing him everywhere."

"I have a feeling I know where this story is going." Ragnor sighed. "You cannot risk your life for someone in a different time, they don't understand-"

"He's different." Magnus insisted, jaw clenched. "I brought him here and, well, he wasn't exactly thrilled to go into the city but he wants to see me again."

"So you're willing to put your freedom on the line for some guy who didn't run away from Raiders?" Ragnor asked rhetorically. His voice was rising with concern. "Magnus, you break laws every second that you use your stolen machine, and you brought someone here without any notice to any government member? Why are you acting so reckless?"

Ragnor's words had no malice to them, but they still stung. "I'm telling you, Ragnor, there's something about him that kept pulling me there."

"And out of all the time you've traveled, why would he just now be attracting you?"

It was a good question, but Magnus quickly grasped at straws. "I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it wasn't the right timing before." He shrugged. 

Ragnor took a moment to process everything his friend had told him, his lips pressed together in a thin line. Finally, he exhaled a sigh of defeat, knowing that once Magnus was set on something, it was nearly impossible to change his mind. "Okay. I can pay you a little for information, depending on what it is."

"Right." Magnus nodded, excited to have his friend's approval, no matter how on-the-fence he might be about everything. "So, Raiders. You know how we all think that they're people who just want everything to end?"

"Yes. Of course." Ragnor said, face blank despite the upsetting topic.

"We were wrong. The government is controlling them. Drugging them, making them destroy everything and anyone that stands in their way in an attempt to erase resistance."

Ragnor's eyebrows shot up. "And how do you know this?"

Magnus smiled sadly. "I saw it with my own eyes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was definitely a lot shorter than the others, I'm trying to work on not being so wordy and annoying in my writing


	6. Chapter 6

In the time that past after Magnus left, Alec had received three essay assignments and worked seemingly endless shifts. His days melted together in blurs of work and stress followed by dreamless heavy sleeps. Needless to say, Magnus didn't return immediately. One evening, two weeks after the night Alec was taken to the future, he arrived to his home feeling like he had used every bit of energy he ever created in all his life, and he was ready to sleep for the next two days he had off from both classes and work. 

He laid on his bed, too tired and sore to move, when he heard his phone begin to buzz under the covers. He had tossed it carelessly aside after crashing, too tired to even scroll through his endless social media. With a groan, he ignored it. Then it rang again, and he scrambled through his tangle of blankets to find it. Eyelids closed, he answered with a grumpy, "Hello?"

"Alec, it's three in the afternoon, are you sleeping?" The voice of his mother struck him like ice being poured down his pants.

"Uh," He coughed to clear his throat. "No, mom. I just got home from class and I'm relaxing is all."

"Oh." His mother gave that thoughtful pause that only mothers could give. "Well, it is good to rest from time to time. How have you been?"

Alec tried his best to ignore the feeling of confusion rising in him. Neither his mother nor his father had contacted him outside of family events for years. "I-I've been fine."

"That's good to hear, honey." His mom said, voice obviously forced into sweetness. "I was just calling because I heard about Lydia."

Alec froze, the static of the phone lines filling his ear. "Who told you about all that?" He asked once he composed himself slightly. 

His mother's response came immediately, slight strain to her voice. "Well, Lydia contacted me after it happened, I just wasn't sure of how to talk to you."

"There's nothing to talk about." Alec shrugged, those months like distant dreams in his memory, blurry around the edges. He didn't even remember what color Lydia's eyes were, and he didn't really care. 

"Well, what happened?" His mother asked. Alec knew, deep down, that she was pressing for information on whether or not he slipped up like he did four years ago and got caught.

He frowned. "We just, drifted apart." He said, waving his hand through the air as if to symbolize the action of them drifting, even though his mother wasn't even there to see his hands.

"Drifted apart? After four years?" She sounded incredulous, and Alec felt annoyance rising in him. 

"People can end up divorced after much longer than four years, mom." He pointed out.

"True. I suppose it's better for you two to have figured out that you're not meant for each other now instead of years down the road." Alec grunted some affirmative noise, though he was slowly starting to drift further and further away from the conversation. Then his mother asked, "So, are there any other girls in your life?"

The words stung Alec. Sure, he had put on a front all those years, but was his mother really so set on ignoring the blatant truth? Alec felt sick to his stomach, wondering why his parents refused to acknowledge it, then felt anger at himself for refusing it too. He decided to go along with his mom, too tired to make up a complete lie or bring more drama into his life. "Um, yeah. A girl."

His monotone seemed to fly over his mother's head, as she gasped and immediately demanded to know who she was, what she was like, all the important stuff. Alec felt his gut twist. If he had decided to use the other pronouns, his mothers response would have been very different. 

His first instinct was to list generic traits of a person while keeping it as vague as possible, but as he opened his mouth to talk, he found himself describing Magnus. "She's just-" The word _she_ burned his tongue; he wanted so desperately to acknowledge Magnus as he was- "She's just good, mom. Different from Lydia, funnier and more open. Not that Lydia was terrible, this-this girl is just- I really, really like her mom." He rushed through the semi-truth feeling miserable. _Him_ , Alec thought to himself. _I really like_ him _._

"That's wonderful to hear, Alec." His mother said, surprising him with how genuine she sounded. 

"Yeah, well. I gotta go. Homework." He lied.

"Oh, alright. I'll call you later-"

"Okay, 'bye." Alec hung up without waiting for his mother's response.

His apartment seemed to suffocate him, and he wanted Magnus to show up and take him to some other time, where Alec technically didn't exist and he could be someone else. He also wanted Magnus to show up just to see him again. He decided to get some way of contacting him next time they met, hoping that something existed that would let them talk while being centuries apart. 

His phone felt heavy in his hand, and he decided that he needed some cheering up. He dialed up the first person that came to mind. After a few rings, a cheery voice greeted Alec. "Hey, Izzy." Alec returned, smile already spreading on his face. 

"What's up? Been a long time since we talked, how've you been?"

"It's only been a few weeks." Alec said, trying to forget the fact that they usually texted each other back and forth daily. "And I've been fine. I actually wanted to tell you something, something you can't tell anyone else, not even Jace." 

There was a muffled voice on Isabelle's end of the line, followed by her shushing it. "Whoa, is everything alright?" She asked. 

"Yes, it's good news. You can't tell Simon either," He added, hearing his sister's boyfriend say something else to which Izzy said "Okay."

"Alright," She said directly to Alec. "You can tell me."

"Okay." Alec said, suddenly nervous. "I'm gonna tell Jace, I promise. I just want him to hear whatever from me. I'm tired of how gossip spreads through our friends and family." He rambled.

Izzy was calm, taking a fair guess as to why her brother was so nervous. "I understand." She assured him. 

Alec bit his tongue, only to blurt out "I may or may not be crushing on someone." A second later.

Lydia paused, waiting in case Alec wanted to add anything else or ramble. Finally, with skepticism in her voice she asked, "Are you calling to tell me this because this someone happens to be a guy?" 

Alec hesitated. "Yes," He finally said, remembering he could trust his younger sister. 

"Well," She began. She sounded winded, maybe upset. "Alec, I am so, so proud of you." 

Alec blinked. "Huh?"

"You-you're not fighting it anymore!" Izzy exclaimed.

"Calm down, Iz. I never said anything happened." Alec said, face flushing from nerves.

"Nothing had to happen." Izzy said, "You're still acknowledging your feelings for a guy."

"Yeah." Alec sighed.

"You don't seem too thrilled."

After a silence, Alec mumbled out his reason for being sad. "Four years." He said. "Four years, Izzy. And the whole time, you were trying to get me to think

straight."

"Well, not straight-"

"Whatever." Alec laughed at her joke. 

"You know what they say, 'better late than never.'" Alec could practically hear her smile through the phone. "So, tell me all about him."

"Well, I- we've only known each other for a little bit." Alec admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, so he's someone I've never met before?"

"Uh, yeah." Alec said. "I communicate with more people than just acquaintances that socialize with our family."

"Okay, mister pedantic." Izzy sarcastically said with a chuckle. 

The two talked for a while about Magnus, although Alec left his name out so that Isabelle wouldn't have any way of trying to search for him, even though Alec doubted the time traveler had a Facebook page. After nearly an hour, Izzy said goodbye, explaining that Simon had gone to pick up food but had returned.  
Alec hung up the phone and fell back on his bed, bouncing on the mattress springs. The call with his mother was terrible, it had made him feel like his whole world was crashing down, just like it had four years ago. Talking with his sister was nice, though, and he felt infinitely better than when he had first arrived home. 

Alec began to drift off to sleep, a nap that he considered well earned, when he heard a crash from his living room. He jolted up, reaching blindly for the baseball bat he kept under his bed before making his way slowly out to the source of the noise. Poised ready to strike, Alec slunk down his hall and peered around the corner, then felt his muscles relax all at once when he saw that it was Magnus. "You scared me." He announced, startling Magnus who didn't know Alec was home.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know if you were home, I was going to wait."

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're not some murderer or something." Alec laughed, but Magnus seemed pale and worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Magnus shook his head quickly. "Just had to deal with some stuff."

"Well, is everything okay?" Alec asked, noticing the way Magnus' hands were shaking.

"Yeah, it was just-" He shrugged, then dropped his gaze to the floor, the silence swallowing his explanation. Alec didn't want to push him.

"Okay." He sighed, stepping towards Magnus. He wasn't actually aware of what he was doing, just moving out of habit, but he saw his hand reach out to Magnus and grab the other man's. It was like watching a first-person movie and Alec's hands belonged to the main character and Alec was simply observing.

"Your hands were shaking." Alec said by way of explanation.

Magnus frowned, but didn't move from Alec's grip. He was anxious, knowing that he had broken yet another law to add to his list, wondering when he would be caught, and also wondering why he felt like he could trouble Alec with all of that. "It's just been a long week." Magnus eventually said.

"Tell me about it," Alec huffed. "Do you want anything? Food, drink?" He began to move towards the kitchen, Magnus in tow. Alec kept his hand in Magnus', not wanting to let go any time soon and hoping it wasn't weird to hold the man's hand. 

"I'm fine." Magnus said once they were on the tiled floor. Alec stopped in his pursuit of refreshments and turned around. He was leaning back against a counter top and Magnus was standing in front of him, an arms' length away. All Alec had to do was pull him forward and-

And he did.

Magnus stepped forward mostly out of surprise, his free hand scrabbling for purchase and landing on Alec's waist. "Magnus, I was wondering-"

His question was cut off by the sound of the door being unlocked and pushed open. Alec looked up, feeling his face warm as Lydia stepped into the kitchen and her eyes zeroed in on the two boys standing in the kitchen wrapped up in each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Alec squeezed out and away from Magnus, dropping his hand and putting the entire small space of the kitchen between them. Lydia looked back and forth between them before saying, "Sorry, I was just here to get my stuff. You know, all the things I left at the beginning of the year."

"It's been months," Alec said, throat tight and mouth dry.

"Yeah, well I want my things back." Lydia said. "And I'm returning your spare key and everything. All that break up stuff." She put the key on one of the counters and moved past the boys, and Alec cursed his apartment for being set up the way it was. He was aware that Magnus was staring at him hard, but he couldn't dare look at him. Lydia expertly navigated the rooms with her four years of experience, picking up clothes and other items and folding them into a box that Alec hadn't noticed she brought with her. 

"Why are you coming back now?" Alec asked as he watched her scour the book shelf to reclaim her collections. 

"I was too upset to at first, and then I got this idea that I could win you back, that it hadn't been too long. I guess I was wrong." She said, no bitterness in her voice, no malice.

"What does that mean?" Alec asked, feeling panicked.

Lydia looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Alec, I talked to Izzy," She began. Alec felt like punching something, and of course Lydia read that immediately. "Don't be mad at her. We were close, and she explained everything to me mostly to get me to stop crying her ear off." She smiled, but it was half there.

"B-but. What about you? You're not angry?" He asked.

"I wanted to be, at first. When I found out." Lydia said, throwing a glance towards the kitchen where Magnus was hidden. "But I couldn't bring myself to hold it against you. I know you cared about me, just not in the same way I did for you. You're not a bad guy, Alec." She said. Her voice was calm but her eyes were sad. "And the whole getting you back, it was a crazy dream I had hoping your sister was just making things up to placate me."

Her box was full, items nearly spilling over the edges. "Do you need anything?" Alec asked, feeling like he was going to vomit and all that would come up was the guilt he was feeling. "Money for the ride home, anything like that?"

Lydia shook her head, her blond curls cascading around her shoulders. "No, my friend drove me here. I'll be fine." She surprised Alec then by balancing her box on her hip precariously and wrapping her other arm around him in a loose hug. Alec then surprised himself by returning the hug. He had missed Lydia a little; after all, they had spent so much time together that his life had really been one big routine around her. "I'll get out of your hair now." She said, pausing by the entryway to the kitchen. "Alec, I know how your parents are. I won't say anything."

"Thank you," He said with a sigh of relief. Lydia left with a polite smile to Magnus, who awkwardly returned it. When the door closed behind her, Alec felt like crumbling to the ground, the exhaustion creeping back up on him. "Sorry about that." He said to Magnus, who had been staring at the ground, awkwardly rocking back and forth on his feet.

"No need to apologize." He said. "There was obviously some closure that needed to happen. For both you and her, I think."

Alec sighed, eyes drooping. "It's just such a long story." He said, sitting on the couch and putting his head in his hands. He briefly recapped the last four years, rushing past the mention of his brother and the first boy he had ever kissed to explain away Lydia. Magnus listened to the whole thing from his spot in the kitchen. Alec couldn't see him from the couch, he just talked until the story was over and hoped Magnus didn't get bored and leave.

Eventually the other man came into the living room. "I'm sorry all of that happened." 

"Not your fault." Alec shrugged, unable to suppress a yawn. Magnus moved to sit next to Alec on the couch, the younger boy boldly leaning towards him. Magnus was surprised by this, but let Alec rest his head on his shoulder, eyes closed and breathing slow. "I'm so tired." He said.

"Yeah." Magus half-whispered. "Me too."

"Let's nap."

And so they did. At first they were awkward, not wanting to lean too much on the other. But as sleep took them, they gave into the comfort of each other and drifted away.

Alec woke up to a dark room. He cursed himself for not setting an alarm as usual, because now he'd be awake all night. He considered going back to sleep to get as much as possible, but he suddenly remembered that he was not alone, the weight of Magnus' arm laying across his stomach a solid reminder of how they had napped on the couch together- and everything that had happened before that. He nudged his shoulder slightly, bouncing Magnus' head a little bit. Alec whispered his name followed by a soft, "Wake up, we slept all day." Magnus groaned his refusal into Alec's neck and shifted, wrapping himself more firmly around the other boy, who's face became hot enough to fry an egg.

Alec chuckled and began lightly carding his fingers through Magnus' hair, admiring the change of color from black to red and how soft it was. He had almost fallen back asleep from the rhythm when Magnus jokingly said, "That's not helping to wake me up, you know."

"Sorry," Alec muttered, not really sorry at all. He stopped playing with Magnus' hair, however, and used his other hand to grab the one laying on his hip. There was something about Magnus that made Alec forget everything else, lose all of his worries. Maybe it was his crazy time traveler energy. He chuckled at the thought and Magnus sat up, looking at him oddly. "What's so funny?" 

"Nothing," Alec shook his head, sleepily gazing at Magnus' face illuminated by the soft orange glow of the streetlights outside. He didn't think, just shifted and then- 

And then they were kissing. 

Alec didn't know what to do at first, he was too surprised by himself to let his mind catch up with everything. Magnus was surprised too, but slowly loosened, moving his hand in Alec's up to his shoulder, pressing in to the other boy. Alec had kissed two people before that moment, and he barely remembered that first kiss after not letting himself think about it for years. Kissing Lydia had felt like nothing, like a dead pressure against his lips that anchored him down and threatened to drown him. But kissing Magnus was the opposite, like he had pulled Alec out of the water and breathed air into his lungs. That was the only way he could describe it, like being able to breathe for the first time in a long time.

Magnus sat back, his hands lightly cupping Alec's face, thumbs brushing along his cheeks. His eyes flitted around Alec's face and a smile smile was beginning to tug at his lips. "I hope that was okay," Alec eventually spoke, his voice low and uneven.

_"Alexander,"_ Magnus sighed happily. "That was more than okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short short short


	8. Chapter 8

The two spent the next day together, Alec drinking plenty of coffee to avoid napping all day again and Magnus explaining that he could sleep whenever, wherever. It was raining outside, the heavy drops smacking against Alec's window and muting the colors of the outside world, making everything seem bleak. Alec was reminded of Magnus' home, the desolate future that he came from. He wondered about the war that was happening in the other man's time, and why they couldn't just go to the future and see who won and how. When Alec asked about that, Magnus explained that all of the technology was built strictly, and there was no possible way to put in a date that was remotely close to that time. It was the ultimate law to break, creating a machine that would travel to that period.

"It doesn't seem fair." Alec sighed, leaning against the counter, watching the raindrops race down the glass.

"There's nothing I can do about it." Magnus shrugged.

"Why don't you go back, stop the war from happening." Alec suggested, taking a drink from his fourth cup of coffee.

Magnus shook his head. "There was more than just one factor that caused everything, trying to stop all of the bad things from happening would take a lifetime."

Alec frowned, saw the way Magnus' face fell at the talk of his home and decided to change the topic a little. "I was wondering," He began. "Do you have a cell phone or something? Like, some way for me to talk to you when you're a million years away."   
Magnus tilted his head to the side, thinking. "There is one device, but it is in my time. I don't want to take you there again. When we first went, I hadn't realized how terribly the war was going."

"But-"

"No." Magnus shook his head, frown firm on his face. Alec felt disappointed, but didn't want to upset Magnus.

"Okay." Alec sighed, moving around the counter and draping his arms around Magnus. Alec felt free to touch Magnus, no hesitant returns of affection like when he was with Lydia, but full on, unapologetic actions that made Magnus smile and kiss him. "I just- when you're gone I get worried. It's not like you're going to the store for a little."

Magnus hesitated, seriously considering what Alec was asking him for. It was true, there was a communication device that most travellers carried when they had a partner, in case things went wrong and they needed help. But giving one to someone who had no reason to even know about the travelers, well, Magnus was sure there was a law against that somewhere. Then again, when had the law ever stopped him? He sighed, realizing that Alec was going to be the death of him. "Alright." He said, seeing Alec's eyes light up. "I'll get the devices, but then I have to deal with some things." He knew that two of the communicators would be pricey.

"I can't come with you?" Alec asked. 

"I told you, it was dangerous." Magnus said.

"I can handle some danger." Alec replied, more flirty than serious. Magnus smirked and kissed him, then said that he'd be back soon. 

It was almost like the blink of an eye. Magnus stepped into his machine, disappeared, and was back in the amount of time it took Alec to drain his cup of coffee. He stepped into the kitchen, pulling two chains out of his pocket. "These are communicators," He told Alec, putting one of the necklaces around himself. "Turn around." Alec did as he was told and felt Magnus' hands brush the nape of his neck as they locked the necklace in place. "Now, listen."  
The room fell silent but then Alec heard Magnus' voice, though his mouth wasn't moving. _We can talk like this, no matter where I am._ He said, his voice inside of Alec's head. 

_Whoa_. Alec thought, and Magnus chuckled out loud. 

"It takes some getting used to." He told Alec.

"Can anyone else hear what we say?" 

"No, each pair of communicators is made specifically for each other, for partners. Every traveler should have one, but I'm sort of rogue when it comes to that." Magnus explained. 

"Does this mean you can read my mind?" Alec asked.

"No, only the things you want me to hear." Magnus smiled, wondering what Alec wouldn't want him to hear. "But like I said, I have to go handle some stuff."

"What time are you going to?" Alec wondered.

Magnus bit his lip. He didn't want to worry Alec by telling him that he was going to see Camille, so he smiled and said, "I have some friends to placate in the sixteen-hundreds. You know, all that drama that goes on."  
"Sure," Alec laughed, pecking Magnus on the forehead, not bothering to think about the fact that he knew nothing of the drama in the sixteen-hundreds. As he stepped into his machine, Alec heard _I'll see you soon, I promise._

 

 

 

A week passed. At first, Alec and Magnus talked back and forth about random things, the weather, the scenery. One night, when Alec was going to sleep, Magnus said _I miss you,_ and Alec felt awake with electricity for hours. Then, Magnus became less and less quick to respond. Alec couldn't be too distracted, he still had a job and classes to keep up with, but something nagged the back of his mind. 

_When you get back,_ He began to think out to Magnus. _We should go on a date._

Magnus replied hours later with, _I would love that._

Another week passed, and Alec was only slightly aware of the fact that he had taken to biting his nails, a habit that typically only took hold of him during finals. 

After a month with no return of Magnus, Alec couldn't help but just feel sad. He missed Magnus, hated that they had known each other or at least known of each other for so long and yet had spent so little time together. Alec didn't know that Magnus had really gone to see his ex-girlfriend and talk about payment, and that the meeting had gone horribly wrong.

Magnus was chained up, locked in a holding room and being charged with everything that had been piling up against him. There was his stolen machine, the fact that he had no loyalty to either side, his free-lance habits, and a mountain of other things that Camille was charging him with. He kept this all from Alec of course, pretending that he was on a tropical island somewhere with some made-up friends that were having made-up issues. 

He had been sitting up against one of the cold brick walls, his hand twiddling the small pendant that connected him and Alec, trying to think of something to say to him. Camille walked in, noticed the device and frowned. "You never wore a communicator, not even when we were partners." She said.

"I didn't really want to communicate with you more than necessary." He replied, a harsh tone to his voice.

Camille simply rolled her eyes, unaffected. "Magnus, dear, you really are such a terrible actor. Stick to time traveling." She sat down across from him on a plastic chair. "We both know you loved me far more than anything else."

"Narcissism really isn't attractive, Camille." Magnus said. "Why do you keep visiting me?"

Her eyes flicked down to the communicator in his hands. "Well, something may have told me that the person with the other half of that communicator set, is not from our time."

"So?" Magnus asked, feigning ignorance.

"So," Camille echoed. "That means whoever is on the other side, shouldn't know you exist. I need to find out who it is so I can bring them here and have their memory wiped."

Magnus tried to remain calm, but he felt his heart sink into his stomach. "Their memory wiped?"

"Yes," Camille sighed as if she were bored. "We can't have a non-traveler knowing about everything. That's dangerous." 

She stood, sauntered over to where Magnus sat, and held out her hand. "Give me it so I can track it."  
Magnus shook his head. "I'll just tell you." He blurted. He felt sweaty, like the room was increasingly getting hotter. The last thing he wanted was for Camille to find out about Alec, but he also didn't want to lose their only means of communication. Camille left with a satisfied grin and the time and place of Alec's existence. 

As soon as the door shut, Magnus tried to reach out to Alec. He had no idea what time it was, his room had no windows. He just hoped he was awake. If he really tried, he could wake him up, but he wanted to create as little panic as possible. _Alec, are you awake?_

The reply came instantly. _Yeah, but I'm in class._  
Magnus felt a small rush of relief. They wouldn't barge in and take him while he was in the public eye, so he was safe for a little while. _Okay. Just, don't go home._  
 _What? Why not?_

Magnus wished he was with Alec, wished he had never gone to Camille, wished a million things that he couldn't change now. _Alec, I lied to you._ He began. _About where I went._ Alec didn't respond, but Magnus could practically feel his nerves and curiosity seeping through their connection. _I went to my time, to talk to someone about a mission so I could make some money-_

 _Magnus, you could have asked me for money. Why'd you go there?_ Alec asked, his worry hitting Magnus like a brick.

 _It's a special kind of money, made for travelers._ Magnus quickly explained. _So I needed it from a source that I knew would have it. Anyway, that source was my. . ._

He paused, not wanting to bring his past relationship up at that time. _What?_ Alec pressed.

 _She's my ex-girlfriend. And she would always pay me handsomely to do terrible missions, and I needed the cash. I had gone to her a while ago to tell her that I wouldn't work for her anymore, and she's always been so dramatic- I thought she wouldn't actually hold anything against me._ Magnus felt tired, tired of everything.

 _So what happened?_ Alec asked, trying to not let his curiosity about the ex-girlfriend be noticed. 

_She holds her grudges. And now she's coming after you, probably to get back at me._ Magnus said.

 _What does she want from me?_

_Well, you're involved in everything now, and that's one of the worst crimes to commit; bringing an innocent life into the knowledge of my time._ Magnus told him, aching for any physical contact with Alec, even just his hand to hold. 

_So, what is she going to do with me?_ He asked.

 _She said she is going to erase your memory of me- of everything involving this time._ Magnus said, figuring that there was no point in beating around the bush. Alec didn't reply, so Magnus called out to him, still earning nothing. His palms were sweaty, and he kept saying Alec's name, not even realizing that he was speaking out loud with his thoughts, his worried voice too loud in his isolated room. 

_I'm here,_ Alec finally said. _I just- I had to go to the bathroom or else everyone in class would see me vomit._

_Alec, you need to get back to class._ Magnus urged him. _You can't be alone, that'll just make it easier for her to get you-_

Magnus heard the sound of a female voice in the background. Alec must have been channeling still, and Magnus heard everything happen. "No," He mumbled, even though he was alone in his room. Alec was begging for his life, and Magnus could feel his heart beat with the same fear he was feeling. Then there was silence. Either Camille took his communicator, or something worse happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> draaaaama 
> 
> sorry my writing sucks


	9. Chapter 9

Alec woke up with his ankles chained to a wall and his hands chained together. His back ached, his neck throbbing from where a needle had jabbed him. As light filtered into his conscience, he began to remember everything. There was a screaming in his head, an actual voice along with the pain. It was Magnus, calling out to him. Alec felt sluggish, and couldn't form a response, struggling to even open his eyes. When he did, he saw that he was in a stone room, the cold chilling him to the bone. 

It was dark, illuminated only by the light spilling in from under the door. _Magnus,_ he finally managed to think, earning a wave of relief from the other man. 

_Where are you?_ Magnus asked, hoping that the worse had not happened yet.

 _In some room._ Alec told him, still feeling the effects of the drug he was knocked out with. _It's completely dark._

 _Okay._ Magnus said, trying to stay calm for Alec's sake. _Just talk to me._

 _'m scared._ Alec thought honestly, his filters still lagging.

Magnus was quiet for a moment, and Alec could feel his anguish. _I'm sorry, Alec._

 _Hey, just so you know,_ Alec began, Magnus' face a clear picture in his mind. _I really like you, like a lot._

He didn't hear Magnus' laugh so much as he felt it, and that small feeling made Alec a million times more calm. _I like you a lot, too._ Magnus said, making Alec's heart flutter. 

The moment they were sharing was cut short by the door opening and light spilling in, nearly blinding Alec. There was a figure, the same one that originally drugged Alec, only this time she was flanked by two other men. She stepped into the room, and the lights flickered on making everything too bright, like the first time he had stepped into Magnus' machine. "Hello, Alexander." She spoke, sending a chill up Alec's spine. He had only been called his full name by Magnus, and he hated the way it sounded rolling off of her tongue. "So, we have a slight problem."

"You can't erase my memories, I won't let you." Alec found himself saying.

The woman standing in front of him, towering over his weak form, simply frowned. "Oh, but I can. You see, there's a law to follow. Magnus isn't very good at it, but it's still there."

"But I-" Alec struggled for an argument. "I wasn't in any danger until you came along!"

"Trust me," the woman chuckled. "You would have been, eventually." She took a few steps forward and crouched to be level with Alec. "Magnus thinks he's in love with you," She hissed. "And when he thinks he's in love with someone, he is reckless. He would have gotten you murdered, or worse."

"No," Alec shook his head. He was starting to feel the drug wear off, the fog in his mind clearing. "He was actually completely against me travelling with him. He was protecting me."

The woman seemed confused by this. "But you have communicators-"

"Because I asked him for a way to talk while he was away." Alec told her, feeling anger rise in his stomach. _Don't let her get to you,_  Magnus' voice warned. Alec took a breath to calm himself.

"You're telling me that Magnus Bane had no intentions of bringing you anywhere near this time?" She asked, disbelief palpable in her voice.

"When I asked to come with him, he refused to even listen to me." Alec told her. "He was never going to put me in danger." It clicked in his mind then, that this must be the ex-girlfriend that Magnus had been talking about. She stood up suddenly, turned and said something to one of the guards, who nodded and left the room. From what Alec could see, she had a hand pressed to her chest, her face concentrated as he thought. She was communicating with someone.   
The silence in the room made Alec want to scream. He watched the emotions flicker on her face, barely there at all. Then she turned to him, face stoic.

"Magnus has requested our audience."

"Why didn't you take our communicators away?" Alec asked.

"Because I need information from him, and if he is worried about you then he will not comply." She sounded sad. Alec was never good at reading another person's emotions, but he couldn't help but feel that this woman was- jealous? The other guard stepped foward and unchained his ankles, though his wrists remained bound together. "Walk," She ordered. As Alec stood, his joints cracked in protest, locked and tired from his odd positions. 

The entered the white hallway, and Alec was reminded of a hospital. He had only ever been to the ICU once, and the reminder of the experience made him feel nauseous. When they finally stopped walking, they were outside another unmarked door. The guard that had originally left was standing beside it, arms folded across his chest and looking straight ahead. The woman put in some sort of code and the door clicked open, and Alec immediately saw Magnus. He was beat up, nose bleeding and a dark bruise blooming under his eye. Alec felt the strength leave his legs and resisted the urge to rush to him.

It had been nearly two months, and the sight of him like that was not the warm and welcoming return that Alec had passed the time daydreaming of. Magnus smiled weakly at him. "Magnus," The woman said, breaking through their haze. "I brought your boy, now you must talk."

"Camille," He snapped. "Please, give me a minute with him."

The woman- Camille- stiffened, her eyes narrow slits on her sculpted face. "You will have one minute, then I must proceed with everything." Alec was shoved forward, the door clicked shut behind him, and then he was stepping towards Magnus, wishing his hands were unchained. 

"Magnus," He breathed, raising his hands to gently touch his bruised face. "Magnus, what's she going to do to you?"

His face paled, and he shook his head. "I don't want to waste time talking about that." He said. "Trust me, I have a plan. I hope it works, but. . ." His voice trailed off.  
"It'll work," Alec nodded. "You're smart." He felt his eyes sting with tears, and Magnus surged up to kiss him as the door opened, and Camille's voice called, "Alright, Magnus. Time to get going." Magnus grimaced, knowing that she had given them a fraction of the minute she had promised.

Alec tried to think of something to say, but could only look at Magnus as he was pulled out of the room and the door was slammed in his face, Magnus' worried eyes never leaving his face. The guard grabbed him by the upper arm and Alec shrugged him off. "I can walk myself," He said, though his voice was uneven. The guard led him in a different direction from where they came, and they walked up some stairs and into a different room. When it opened up, Alec saw an observation area, like in hospitals. The glass window looked down into Magnus' room, where he and Camille were standing across from each other, standoffish. 

He couldn't hear them talking, but he saw the way Magnus' face had become hard and unreadable, a complete change from just seconds ago. Alec felt like calling out to him, telling him he was there, but he didn't want to break his concentration. Something crackled to life, and then he could hear their conversation. "- You know anything with him would never work." Camille's voice came through mid-sentence.

"It would, if you weren't such a jealous bitch." Magnus said calmly. Alec couldn't help but smile at the comment. 

Camille seemed unaffected. "Tell me, do you have a wish to become a Raider?" She asked. "Because you know the punishment."

"I'd rather die." Magnus answered honestly. "But truthfully, as commander, shouldn't you be spending your energies on more important things? Like, I don't know, winning the war?"

"But this is so much more fun." Camille smirked, stepping towards Magnus and placing a hand on his shoulder, playing with the collar of his torn shirt. "Plus, the information you give me could very well help me win."

"I don't have any information to give you." Magnus shrugged, trying to get her hand off of him.

"What if I struck a deal with you?" Camille asked. "You give me all the information you know- about everyone and everything in this goddamned war, and I will let Alec live with full memory of you."

"That's a pretty shitty deal." Magnus replied. 

"Ah, my mistake. You want to be with him and live happily ever after." She mockingly said. "You two do seem to have rushed everything."

This comment made Magnus stiffen. "It's been months." He said.

"But how many of those months have you actually spent together?" She asked, dragging her finger up his neck and under his jaw. "You've fallen hard for this boy that you know nothing about."

"I know that he's better than you will ever be." Magnus spit, Camille's easy smirk dropping from her face.

"That may be true, but we both know that the past doesn't mix well with our time." She said. "So, what will it be?"

"Well, here's my deal." Magnus said. "I give you all the information you want, free of charge, and you banish me. Everything is solved."

 _Magnus, this is your home,_ Alec couldn't help but think, and he saw the confusion register on Magnus' face. His eyes flicked upwards, connected with Alec, and his face paled. Camille chuckled. "Yes, I've been having your little boyfriend watch this whole thing." 

Her words made Alec uncomfortable. There was truth behind them, that the two boys were so invested in each other after so little time- but Alec figured that this wasn't a normal situation where the normal steps in a relationship were followed.

Magnus looked away from Alec, eyes focused harshly on Camille. "If you banish me, I disappear from this time and I am no longer a rogue threat. That's one less neutral body to worry about." 

"That is true." Camille said, pondering Magnus' words. "But then again, I am a jealous bitch, so why would I just let you two go?" 

Magnus' jaw clenched. "You can't punish me out of jealousy- you're the one who left me. This is tyrannical."

"Magnus, honey," Camille glanced up at Alec. "I really have nothing to be jealous of." Alec felt his face flare up with anger. Camille laughed and said, "Besides, it isn't tyrannical if you've broken every law ever written. If anything I have no reason not to turn you."

"Turn him into what?" Alec called.

"Alec, please-"

"A Raider, dear." Camille told him. "I'm sure Magnus has told you all about them. They're our little weapons, they have no will to live- no free will at all, actually- and they kill whoever they see that's in their way." 

Alec flashed back to hiding in the house with Magnus as the screeching filled the air and the inhuman noises ripped apart the tranquility of the silent rooms.

"You can't do that." Alec said.

"I can," Camille countered. "It's the punishment for breaking the law." 

"Then turn me instead." Alec suddenly said.

_"Alexander-"_

Camille barked out a laugh. "Then I'd be breaking the law. Besides, Magnus is a wanted man."

"Turn me and banish him, like he said."

"No, Camille. Get him out of here." Magnus begged.

"I like where he's going with all of this." She said. "Sadly, your fate is already decided, Alec. Take him to the memory chamber." She ordered the guard, whose hand clamped tightly on Alec's arm. 

_Magnus, what can I do?_ He thought out quickly.

 _Find Ragnor Fell, he'll help._ Magnus replied. 

"I'll need your communicator, Magnus. I can't have you conspiring, now can I?" She held out her hand.

 _Where do I find him?_ He asked quickly. 

_Look in that bar-_

"Magnus, now." Camille commanded. Glaring at her, Magnus tore the chain from his neck, breaking the lock. It fell into her pale hand and she slipped it into a pocket with a smirk. Alec was yanked out of the room and the door slammed shut, right as Camille was saying "Your change will be set for a week from now."  
The guard tugged Alec down the steps and Alec shrugged him off at the landing. "I can walk myself." He said forcefully, though his whole body was trembling. His hands were still chained, and he had no idea how he would ever escape. All he knew was that if he didn't act fast, Magnus would be turned into a monster.  
He gnawed on his bottom lip as he looked around, searching for a window or anything that could lead to the outside world. The guard kept walking, occasionally glancing over his back. He wasn't necessarily a bulky man, but he looked evil and just the thought of fighting him scared Alec. As they stopped in front of a door, Alec saw what he was looking for. At the end of the hallway to his left, was a window that was only half-buried in sand. "Enter," the guard commanded, and Alec turned his head and saw a dark room, a strange blue light glowing from inside.

"Is this where you erase my mind?" He asked, mostly stalling. 

"Not me, the boss." The guard replied. 

"Right." Alec took a step forward, but then turned, hoping the element of surprise would be enough to let him win. He grabbed as much of the guy's shirt as he could with his hands bound and whirled him into the room, slamming the door shut and hearing it click locked. 

"Hey!" The man yelled, banging on the door and trying to shake it open. As far as Alec could tell, it would stay locked without the input of a passcode. He took off down the hall, only briefly wondering how he would break open the window. Fueled by adrenaline, he barely registered the sound of an alarm blaring. With all of his energy, he launched himself at the glass and hit it dead on with his elbows. It cracked slightly, and he swung again with his mass of hands, effectively breaking a hole in it and then easily widening it.

His hands got cut up, and he felt the sides of his face and arms get scratched as he worked his way out, but he didn't care. As soon as he clambered up the sand, he took off running. It was sunny out, which he was thankful for since that meant he wouldn't have to deal with any Raiders any time soon. He ran down slopes and up hills until his lungs started burning, filled with sand.

He stopped after ducking behind a building to catch his breath. Looking around, he saw that he was undoubtedly in Times Square- there were skyscrapers that had been reduced to the height of regular buildings thanks to sand, but it was undeniable that he was standing in the area that had been home to many a New Year's celebration. He took a minute to cough up as much sand as he could before thinking. 

Magnus had said to find someone named Ragnor Fell. To go to a club, but what club? There were hundreds in New York, though probably half had been buried. The only club he could think of that the both of them knew of was the one he had seen Magnus in months ago, when he was searching for energy. Alec figured that it wouldn't hurt to try, and set off in the direction of the club. The sand obscured his ingrained sense of direction for New York, but it was still New York, which meant that Alec knew where to go and how to get there with his eyes closed. 

He noticed that where he was heading was considerably less sandy. Despite that, it was darker, and made Alec feel exposed and uncomfortable. After about half an hour of navigating the sand and dusty streets, Alec saw the familiar sign advertising the club, only letters were missing and it was rusted with age. He approached the door, took a deep breath, and pushed it open.

 

 

 

 

Magnus had heard the alarm and immediately smiled. Camille turned on him. "What did you tell him?" She demanded to know, angrily walking towards him.

He shrugged, feigning ignorance. "I didn't get to tell him anything, you took my communicator before I could." He lied. 

Camille growled and stomped out of the room, hands curled into fists at her sides. Magnus took a seat, feeling impossibly happy for his situation. Of course, he couldn't be too happy yet. There was every possibility that Alec would be caught before anything could be resolved, and if he got caught then nothing would turn out right. Magnus squeezed his eyes shut and wished for the universe to help Alec, because Alec hadn't done anything wrong and could use as much help as he could get.


	10. Chapter 10

Walking down the stairs to get into the club had been a major flashback for Alec. That time, however, there was no illumination and the stairs groaned eerily from age. Once he pushed the second door open, there was no loud music and flashing lights to bombard his senses. Instead, there were people seated at different tables, some drinking, others talking. Alec scanned the room but realized he had no idea what Ragnor Fell even looked like, so he stepped into the light. A few eyes glanced his way, but he didn't seem to attract any special attention, which Alec thought was a little odd considering his hands were still cuffed and he was bleeding quite a bit from the broken glass.

He made his way to the bar, a repeat of actions that he had done during his time, when he had visited the area out of angst. Instead of lithe men swarming around, sweaty bodies indecipherable from one another, there were only three men behind the counter, and a handful on the other side. Alec approached the first man he could get close to. He was a blue-haired guy, a little older than Alec, who had bright yellow eyes and a lethal amount of piercings in his face. Alec wondered how they didn't get in his way in this time.

"I'm looking for Ragnor Fell." Alec said, trying to make his voice sound big and important. "Have you seen him?"

"Depends on who's askin'," The guy responded, chewing idly on a toothpick and eyeing the locks around Alec's wrists curiosly. 

"Magnus Bane sent me." Alec said, beginning to form a story, but the mention of Magnus caught the guy's attention.

"Magnus Bane? Really?" He asked.

"Yes." 

"Magnus Bane doesn't send people. He does his own work." The guy said doubtfully, taking a drink from a half-empty glass in front of him. 

"Not in this case." Alec said, impatient. 

The guy seemed to consider Alec for a moment, eyes going down and then dragging back up his figure. Alec felt small and exposed. Finally, he called out to Ragnor, but didn't look away from Alec.

"What is it?" A voice responded. Alec didn't see who it belonged to. 

"There's a boy out here, says Magnus sent him." The guy shouted. Alec wanted to tell him to keep his voice down, but kept his mouth shut. There was no verbal reply, but after a second Alec saw a curtain being pushed aside and a man walking out from behind it. He was old, but not frail. He had hairy features, his eyebrows and beard dominating his face. There were hard lines that cut through his skin, wrinkles that told of time and experience.

He eyed Alec as he walked over to them. "What is your name?" He asked.

"I'm Alec."

"Ah, are you the same Alec that Magnus has been gushing about?" The man smiled. Alec felt his face heat up, but then quickly told himself to focus.

"Maybe," He shrugged. "Look, Magnus told me to find Ragnor Fell because he needs help."

"Did he get stuck in pre-revolution France again?" Ragnor asked, with a lazy raise of his eyebrow.

"What? No-" Alec shook his head. "It's- it has to do with Camille."

The man's joking expression was quickly replaced by a serious, angry look. "What's happened?" 

Alec took in the man- Ragnor- and wondered what the old guy could possibly do to help. Quickly, he recapped everything that had gone down, starting from his own kidnapping. He noticed the blue-haired boy listening as well, but thought nothing of it. Obviously Ragnor knew and trusted him to some degree, so Alec didn't think he was in any danger. 

Once finished explaining everything, Alec felt his shoulders relax, letting go of tension that he had been holding. He looked to Ragnor expectantly, hoping that he'd have a magic solution to everything. "First things first, you need to get out of this time." Ragnor said sternly. "Once you leave, Camille won't waste her time on you."

"But Magnus-"

"Magnus would kill me if I let you stay here." Ragnor cut him off, firm stare keeping Alec from arguing. "These aren't your battles, Alexander."

"I can't just go home while he's in trouble." Alec said.

"If you don't, you'll be in trouble." Ragnor countered.

"Look-"

"Aren't we wasting time arguing here?" The blue-haired boy interjected. "I mean, the more time you spend going back and forth on this, the less time Magnus has."

"Right." Alec nodded. "So we need to come up with something."

Ragnor glared at the blue-haired boy. " _We_ need to do nothing." His angry eyes were intimidating in the dark glow of the room. 

"I'm not arguing with you anymore. Let Magnus be mad, I'm not leaving him." Alec shrugged.

Ragnor rolled his eyes and mumbled "The things I do. . ." He then bent down and whispered something to the other boy, who nodded and turned to go. As he walked out of the former club, Alec asked what he had told him to do. "Just to get something."

"Are you going to tell me your plan, or are you just going to pout because you don't want Magnus to be upset with you?" Alec asked. "He won't even be that mad, especially since you're saving his life."

"Look," Ragnor snapped. "You don't know anything about this time. You don't know the laws, the customs, and you barely know Magnus. So you just let me do my thing, and I'll tell you what I want to tell you."

Alec refused to let his mouth hang agape, even though that's how he would have reacted in any other circumstance. Instead, he gave a submissive nod, telling himself to calm down. Ragnor was right, after all. He barely knew Magnus. 

Ragnor went off to "Deal with some details" and Alec was left with his thoughts. Magnus sprang into his life unexpected- that was a cliche, and Alec hated that, but it was true. Out of nowhere, a man appeared from the sky and took him to the future and made half a year feel like a lifetime. Alec had been pushed out of the life he had always known, the safety and security of normality and expectedness. 

He knew Magnus would save him if the roles were reversed, so Alec pushed his doubts temporarily away for the sake of staying focused. 

He ended up drinking some whiskey that was offered to him, though awkwardly through maneuvering the cuffs that kept his hands together. The alcohol was rich, anciently aged. Alec wondered when it originated, if it was somewhere near his time. Ragnor returned, face sad. "I forgot to get those," He said, motioning to the cuffs around Alec's wrists. Expertly, he picked them open as if he had done it a million times before. "Now," Ragnor said once the deed was done. "Did Magnus give you a communicator?"

"Yeah, but Camille took his." Alec informed him. 

Ragnor shook his head. "I figured. You need to get rid of yours, too." 

"What? Why?" Alec asked, free hand going to touch the object hanging around his neck and anchoring him to Magnus. 

"She can track you with Magnus'." Ragnor answered. "That's probably how she found you originally."

Alec frowned, feeling the metal between his fingers and resisting the urge to think anything. Ragnor was right, Camille had the other communicator now and could find him at any second-

Just then, the entrance to the club burst open and in walked Camille, surrounded by a mass of black-clothed individuals. 

Alec felt his heart stop. Ragnor reached across the bar and snapped the chain from Alec's neck and throwing it somewhere. He then practically pulled Alec over the counter and pushed him down beneath it, just as Camille turned to look that way. Alec was paralyzed with fear. He couldn't see anything besides Ragnor's feet and the broken pieces of glass that littered the floor. He heard the voices go completely silent. "Commander," Ragnor eventually spoke. "You've taken quite a risk showing up here. What do you want?"

Camille's voice was sharp and angry when she answered. "I know Alexander is here, I tracked him."

"Who?" Ragnor asked. 

"Don't mess with me, Fell." Camille snapped. "There is nothing I won't do to find that boy and get him out of here."

"Magnus would never bring someone here, which means that whoever this Alexander is, you are the one that brought him here in the first place." Ragnor said.

"Because there is a law to follow." Camille hissed. "You people seem to forget that."

" _Us people,_ " Ragnor echoed, the words bitter from his tongue. "Have nothing to do with your little lover's spat. Now, kindly leave my bar or there will be a whole new layer of shit on this war."

The tension was palpable, Alec heard the slow click of Camille's heels on the old tiled floor. "Magnus and are no longer lovers." She spoke slowly, calculated. "He doesn't know how to love someone. He might have Alexander fooled, but if anything, I would be helping him by taking those memories."

"You have five seconds to leave." Ragnor said, ignoring her words. 

Camille smirked. "Helping Magnus is a crime in itself. Remember that, Ragnor. You are such a loyal friend to someone who isn't even declared."  
Alec didn't know what she meant by that, but the word seemed to sting Ragnor. He recovered quickly and said, "Leave now, Camille." There was silence, and Alec half wondered if she would stay and stare Ragnor down forever. Finally, he heard the click of her shoes receding, heading back towards the entrance. 

Soon, voices picked up. There was an anxious tone to the conversations being held, questions being flung and accusations being made. Ragnor pulled Alec up and brought him to a back room, a makeshift curtain falling into place and separating him, delving him into darkness. "What did she mean?" Alec asked. "When she said Magnus was 'undeclared'?"

"In this war, it is considered a small crime to be rogue. It is mandatory to support one side of the cause, as someone who is neutral can easily manipulate and aide anyone for their own personal benefit."

"And Magnus is one of them? He's not on a side?" 

"No. He didn't explain any of this to you?"

Alec shook his head. There was a lot Magnus didn't explain. "He told me about how he got paid to do missions for people, but I didn't know that was a crime."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that now." Ragnor said, the words calming but his voice bitter. "Magnus made his choices, we all have. Now, you have to leave this place."

"I told you, I'm not leaving Magnus-"

"I know, and believe me, I do not have the time nor the energy to argue about that any further." Ragnor said. "I meant you have to leave this bar. The communicator is here, which in Camille's eyes, means you're here." 

Alec shuddered. "So where will I go?" He asked.

"Alec," Ragnor said, his voice commanding all of Alec's attention. "Be honest with me. Magnus brought you here before, right?"

"Y-yes," Alec answered.

"And did you go to any houses with him?"

"Yes, we went to one as soon as we got here. It was getting dark and Magnus was worried about the Raiders." Alec explained.

"Where was it?" 

Alec couldn't see him, but the anxiety of his words filled the air. "I-I don't know, Ragnor. It was all just sand."

Ragnor frowned, and even though Alec couldn't see it, he could feel the disappointment. "There are three safe houses that Magnus frequents when he comes here. I'll send you to the closest."

"But, I don't know how to get there-"  
Just then, the curtain was swept aside and in the few seconds of light Alec saw the flash of blue hair and sparkle of jewelry that indicated the unwelcome arrival of the blue-haired boy. Alec shifted uncomfortably. "I got the detector you asked for Ragnor." He said, pulling something out of the box. The room was doused by darkness again. 

"Perfect timing," Ragnor said. "I need you to take Alec to house Five."

Alec and Ragnor couldn't see the way the boy scrunched up his nose in disgust. "House Five?" He repeated. "That's Magnus' favorite. I hate it."

"Doesn't matter which house you like." Ragnor said. "Alec needs to go to a house that Magnus would be most prepared in."

The boy sighed. "Fine." He said, his footsteps approaching Alec and his body sliding past him. Alec heard him step up on to a counter and the sound of a lock being jiggled. "Everyone step back," He said with an air of boredom. 

Light flooded the room and sand poured in through a trapdoor. The sun nearly blinded Alec and the heat poured in with the sand, not helping his sweaty palms. The dampness that the room was flooded with was sucked out and replaced with pure dryness. As his eyes adjusted, Alec could see the boy, the way he leaned against the stone wall as he stood on the counter like the whole ordeal was absolutely normal. "Let's get going, pretty boy." He winked, clambering out into the desolate world. 

"Ragnor," Alec began before following the boy. "What are you planning?"

He held Alec's gaze for a moment, his eyes glimmering with something that Alec couldn't quite identify. "I'm planning to save Magnus." He answered simply.

"Give me twenty-four hours. After that, Magnus will be at the safe house with you." 

"And you're sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

"You are helping more than you know by going to this safe house and staying low."

Alec nodded, thanked Ragnor. "We don't have all day," The boy called from above. "The sun will set soon."

Alec climbed out of the bar, surfacing on sand that whipped into his mouth and stung his eyes. He coughed against it, watched as the boy closed the hatch and how it was buried in an instant. Standing, Alec felt like his skin was on fire. The sun beat down on him more mercilessly than any summer day he had ever experienced, and he gasped at the pain. "Your boyfriend didn't warn you about the sun?" The boy asked.

Alec flinched at the word _boyfriend_. Not for the same reason he would have months ago, but because it reminded him of Magnus and the danger he was in.

"No, it never came up." Alec said bluntly.

"Huh." Was all the boy replied. He began walking and, just like Magnus, navigated the shifting sand with the ease of a lifetime spent walking on uneven terrain.

They didn't talk much. Alec was far from upset by this, seeing as the boy tried to flirt every time they did communicate. 

After twenty minutes of walking, the boy starting ranting. "You know,I just don't see what's so great about Magnus."

"Excuse me?" Alec asked, trying not to feel too offended.

"It's just- he's rogue." The boy shrugged, not even glancing at Alec as he spoke. "He should be an outcast, someone removed from this time. And yet he has this huge reputation, all of this respect built up though history."

"He deserves it." Alec said, not hesitating to defend Magnus.

"It's my understanding that you two barely even know each other, Alexander."

Alec bristled at the full use of his name. The way the boy said it, rolling it off his tongue faux-seductively, made Alec want to punch him. Only Magnus had used his full name to address Alec, and when he said it there was no air of anything other than adoration and respect. "Call me Alec." He corrected immediately. "And people keep saying that. We barely know each other, we're far too different, but nobody understands what Magnus has done for me."

After hearing that, the boy did finally glance at Alec, an eyebrow arched. "And what would that be?" He asked with a smirk.

"He-" Alec paused, trying to think of how to word his feelings. "He saved me." He eventually decided. "He saved me from myself." 

At first, Alec had been defending Magnus more for himself, to try and convince his own doubts that they were not odd for being so enamored by each other. However, admitting the severity of what Magnus had done without even meaning to made Alec's heart swell and his fingers ache to hold Magnus'. The boy didn't respond. They kept walking.

Wherever they were going, it was a much longer walk than when Alec had first arrived with Magnus. Ragnor had said they were going to the closest safe house, but maybe the boy had become lost. After all, all that was visible for miles and miles was sand, and Alec had no idea how anyone could navigate the land from just memory. The sun hung dangerously low in the sky, no longer burning Alec's skin but sending a wave of panic through him. The red light streaked through the clouds, like blood sliding on milky skin. "How much longer do we have to walk?" Alec asked.

"It shouldn't be too far away." The boy told him, but that didn't stop Alec from constantly glancing over his shoulder and then up at the sky. 

It only became darker. The boy seemed frustrated, eyes glued to the ground. "I never come to Five." He muttered, but Alec heard.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not exactly sure which location the entrance will be." He answered honestly.

"You're joking," Alec said, voice painfully tight. The boy shook his head, kicking sand around, looking for a trapdoor. Alec felt too exposed in the vast desert, the sun a small sliver over the horizon, the stars fading in to claim the sky. A screech filled the air, the same inhuman sound that Alec had heard all those weeks ago. It was the most sad, most horrifying sound he had ever heard, like someone's soul was being ripped from their body. 

"Shit," The boy breathed, speeding up to cover ground faster. Alec began looking around too, although he had no idea what to look for. 

The sun set over New York City.

The screeching stopped, but the silence that followed was nearly louder than the yell had been. It pressed in on Alec and threatened to suffocate him, until he began to hear the thunderous pounding of feet on the sand, sending dust into the sky. Alec saw figures in the distant, human shapes that ran impossibly fast over the hills. Alec watched as one stopped running and seemed to sniff the air, then slowly turned. Through the miles, Alec felt the stranger's sight zero in on him.

He felt trapped as the figure began to sprint towards him, sand flying comically behind his feet. "Alec," The boy called out, but it was no use. The creature that was approaching Alec made him want to throw up. It was definitely a human, but there was a ravaged look to his eyes. His face was clawed open, shredded ribbons of skin clinging to bone and flapping in the wind. It had no weapons, but Alec did notice the glint of its razor-sharp nails. Something grabbed Alec by the shirt and yanked back, sending him tumbling. "Come on," The boy yelled, practically dragging him through the sand.

The creature was fast, but the two boys were closer to the entrance than they could have hoped to be. Alec was prepared that time around for the drop, and as soon as he hit the wooden floor he ran to the shadows, away from a completely sunken window. He watched the boy jam an iron pipe through the lock of the door and the ceiling, though Alec doubted it would do much to yield that beast's persuit; if anything, it would probably anger the creature more. 

"Was that-" Alec began, his cheeks hot and knees weak. "Was that a Raider?"

The boy nodded, surprisingly composed despite everything. "Though that one was beginning to decompose."

"You mean, they're like zombies?"

"Zombies?" The boy repeated, the word foreign to his tongue.

"Like, undead." Alec tried to explain. "They came back to life after dying."

The boy shook his head. "Dying is far preferred to that." He said. "That is the result of a year-long process of drug injections and evil experiments done on law breakers and the mad."

"Magnus," Alec whispered. "Camille said that's what's going to happen to him."

"He must have really pissed her off." The boy said. Alec had expected his tone to be sarcastic, but there was nothing but seriousness in his words.

"But Ragnor said he would save him," Alec said, mostly to reassure himself. The boy didn't say anything to that, instead he turned and motioned for Alec to follow him. Alec didn't hesitate, there was a bang on the trapdoor and another inhuman shriek that made him jump and nearly knock down the boy. 

"These houses are mostly set up the same, and knowing Magnus, he has supplies in a room." The boy said, not bothering with turning on lights. He opened a door and nodded for Alec to enter. "You'll stay here."

"You're not staying too?" Alec asked. He wasn't necessarily sad to have the boy go, but he wasn't really excited to be alone.

"I can't." The boy told him. "Ragnor needs help."

"It's dark out." Alec said, trying to keep him just so he wouldn't be isolated in the house.

The boy merely shrugged. "Growing up in this time gives us advantages over the Raiders. I'm used to travelling at night."

"Oh." Alec said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "Okay. Well, thank you for bringing me here."

The boy nodded, and then the door was closing. "There's a flashlight," He said, nodding to the left wall. "If you hear Raiders, turn it off. I wouldn't risk using the main lights at all."

Alec nodded, going to grab the flashlight as the door was closed completely. Before he could get too panicked by the darkness, he turned the flashlight on. He went to the door, copying Magnus' actions from months ago and locking all of the available bolts. There were five in total, and he hoped they held. 

Being alone in the dark room reminded him of the curtain falling into place at the bar, the way it cancelled out all light from entering save for a few slivers that crept through the space between the floor and the edge of the fabric. Alec slowly moved the flashlight around the room, the wallpaper was dark blue, stained with something that Alec hoped was dirt and not blood. The room was mostly bare except for a desk, closet, and a chest that was locked. Alec approached it and saw a note on top that said _Magnus' property- DO NOT TOUCH!!!!_ In his rusty writing. Alec couldn't help but smile and wondered what Magnus could possibly have in the chest that he didn't want anyone else taking refuge in the house to see. 

Alec tried the lock but was not surprised to find it solidly in place. He moved to the desk. It was littered with papers, most crumpled but others smoothed out with scribbles on them. Alec remembered Magnus saying that they don't write in their time, and it was evident in the childish scribbles that formed lopsided letters. Alec wanted to say it was Magnus trying to write, trying to practice the use of unfamiliar tools of communication. The papers on the desk all belonged to Magnus. There were pictures, drawings of what looked like New York but thriving, lush with life. Alec thumbed through the papers, saw the alphabet being repeated and the letters becoming more and more neatly printed. 

The last paper he saw had his name written on it, spaced out across the top of the page. Underneath, it was repeated in different prints, letters swirling and then becoming blocky. Alec smiled wider, folding the paper and putting it in his pocket. He wondered how Magnus was doing, if he was okay. He reached absently for the chain around his neck before remembering that it wasn't there any more.

There was a loud bang and Alec put out the flashlight.

It was going to be a long night. 

````````

Ragnor had lied to Alec. He had no clue how he was going to save Magnus from Camille. He didn't interfere with Camille and her plots, unless it was a direct attack. The war had been at a semi-stall, but that didn't make the time any less dangerous. Neither Camille nor Ragnor wanted to continue the fighting, but neither wanted to let the other win. He sighed. Being the leader was hard work. 

If it were anyone else that had gotten themselves captured by Camille, Ragnor wouldn't have risked rescuing them, but he needed Magnus alive, and not alive as one of the mindless soldiers that Camille created through torture.

Ragnor remembered the first time Camille had created a group of Raiders, how they nearly manage to usurp his hold in government. Since then, Ragnor had lost hundreds of men and plain citizens to her wrath and what scared him the most was seeing a child, no older than six or seven, being spurred on by a near robotic urge to kill and destroy. 

While the original goal to the war had been lost to time, Ragnor's was quite clear: stop Camille from having any amount of power, and bring some semblance of peace to the burned, ravaged world. 

The laws that were still being enacted were made up years before Ragnor was born, and they weren't followed unless someone could benefit from it, such as Camille desperately needing to hurt Magnus and Alec in some way. Magnus was essential to the war. While he wasn't the only one that was undeclared, he was the only one that was fiercely dedicated to winning. Ragnor and Magnus bonded over that passion, and Magnus had done too much for Ragnor to not even try to help.

He had hoped to get Alec home, out of the time completely, but it was evident that the boy was set on being there for Magnus. Taking him to the safe house was as good as sending him home. Ragnor had asked for twenty-four hours, half of which he had already used up just trying to come up with something that could be made into an effective plan for saving his friend. So far, he had come up with busting straight into Camille's lair and demanding Magnus' return, which was not only impossible but stupid. It was a wonder Alec had managed to escape on his own. 

Ragnor sighed and downed another shot of the illegal whiskey. He could offer a trade. Camille would never turn down a good deal, no matter what the price was. If he could come up with something more valuable than her desire for revenge, Magnus could be saved. All Ragnor had to do was think of something she loved more than feeling bitter and in control. The only problem was that Camille had to be incapable of feeling love for anything or any being. It was true that at some point in time she loved Magnus, but not nearly enough to stay with him through everything.

And besides, he couldn't trade Magnus for Magnus.

Angrily, Ragnor threw his glass to the ground. It shattered in the emptiness of his bar and reverberated off the walls, making his bones feel like they were rattling, too. He tried to think of anything Magnus could have mentioned that Camille cherished. Throughout time, Magnus had bought her an endless amount of gifts that were no doubt sold and the soonest opportunity. 

Ragnor was struck with an idea.

Over the years, he had accumulated enough resources to create portals whenever he pleased. While he didn't have a machine, he could still go somewhere. He wouldn't risk using a machine anyway, Camille probably had sensors for them. Thanks to Magnus, Ragnor knew that Camille had no knowledge of how to manipulate energy without a machine, so there was no way for her to expect the use of a portal.

Ragnor went to work immediately, hoping to be finished before the sun rose.


	11. Chapter 11

The first shot was the worst.

Magnus knew that Camille announced his Change date as a week from when he was captured to throw off Alec. If anything, his escape made her even more eager to jab him with the evil drugs and poison his blood with the experiments. He was chained up, dangling weakly from the ceiling barely able to stay upright, his shoulders burning with pain from the pressure of being tugged and stretched for hours. 

It had barely been two days, and already Camille had given him over a dozen shots. They were supposed to suspend the process of aging, something she hadn't mastered yet. That's why after years, the skin would still fall off of the Raiders' bodies and they would decompose where they stood. After the shots, Magnus knew his major nerve endings would be destroyed so that he didn't feel pain and could barrel through anything or anyone with hardly a flinch. He knew that in the process, there were other drugs that eventually made him go mad and lose the will to live.

It was a process that was usually stretched to be done within a year, but Magnus had a feeling that Camille was fast-tracking the whole thing just for him.   
When she had first entered, needle in hand and smirk on her face, she had wanted to shoot the drug straight into his heart. She was only stopped by a doctor warning her that the effects of doing so could be fatal. She settled for his neck, the painful pulse point throbbing for a break from the injections. 

The only thing Magnus could do was hang from the ceiling and pray that Alec was safe, that he had managed to do more than set off some alarms. 

The doors behind him slid open with a mechanical push of air and he tensed. It was Camille, identifiable by the clicking of her high heels on the tile floor- the only tile floor that Magnus had seen in this time that had been scrubbed to make it shine. She made her way slowly to Magnus, letting the suspension build. He jumped when she touched him, earning a low chuckle from her menacing throat. A quick glance revealed that she had no needle on her person, that she was here to simply taunt. 

"Magnus," She started. "How I've missed you." Magnus stayed quiet. For a year or so after she left him, he had ached for her. Since that time had passed, Magnus had healed tremendously, not leaning into her touch but flinching away. She frowned at his silence, but continued. "Tell me, how is Alexander?"

He tensed even more at the mention of Alec. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've obviously fallen for him. You never did have a good taste in men, Magnus." She tutted her tongue mockingly. "It's a shame, seeing as all of the women in your life were gorgeous beings."

"We've been through this." Magnus spit. "Alec is the best thing that's happened to me."

Camille raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. She hummed and then said, "I seem to recall you saying the same thing about me. And the girl before me, and the man before her."

Magnus flinched. She was right. When he fell for someone, he fell hard and everyone of his past was forgotten. "It's different with him." He said firmly. 

"And I'm sure it will be much different once you only see him as a body to kill." Camille said.

"He escaped." Magnus said, letting a small amount of happiness flood through him at the thought. "I won't see him again."

Camille tilted her head to the side. "Did he?" She asked. "Well, while it is true he managed to escape my facility, he is still in this time." Magnus felt his heart drop. His expression was enough to keep Camille going. "Did you honestly think he'd leave you here?" She laughed. 

"Ragnor said-"

"Ragnor is aiding him. He tried to hide him from me, but I can read him like a book. Make no mistake, I will find your Alec and I will tear away his memories of you as painfully as possible." She raised a hand to his shoulder, trailing her nails along his collarbone and tilting his chin up. He feared for a second that she would kiss him, but she just smirked. "Worry not, soon you won't remember him either."

Magnus wanted to snap that he could never forget Alec, that no matter what happened to him or what change she made, he would always be able to remember who Alec was, but a small voice in his mind kept asking if that was true. She finally let go of his face and stepped back. She wore a striking red dress that clung to her body and left no room to the imagination. Magnus always wondered how she managed to fight like she did.

She clicked away, the doors sliding closed and leaving him in silence.

``````````

 

It had been two days. Alec was too afraid to leave the house, knowing that he would end up getting lost, but he had no clue how long he was expected to wait in the dusty room. Every so often, he would pull out the paper with his name written on it and trace the lead and ink markings, trying to picture Magnus wasting time on the letters. The paper was getting worn from his constant unfolding and refolding. 

After things had settled down, he found his stomach aching for food and water. The boy hadn't given him anything, but a quick search through the closet gave Alec what looked like a week's worth of food, if he rationed it responsibly. 

When his thoughts weren't on Magnus, Alec wondered about his family. Back home, he had been gone for two days plus however long he had been knocked out. His phone didn't work in that time, so he had no way of telling his sister or brother or anyone that he was alive. The good thing was that it still told the time, which he checked sparingly to save battery. 

A harsh thump on the door pushed Alec out of his thoughts. "Alexander," A familiar voice called. Alec scrambled for the flashlight and ran to the door, shaking fingers working on the deadbolts. 

"Ragnor," He called back. "Hold on." He managed to get the locks undone with only a slight struggle. Ragnor burst into the room, and Alec immediately searched for Magnus. He tried not to let his disappointment show. "Ragnor, what happened?"

"I have a plan,"

"That's what you said before." Alec said, realizing that Magnus hadn't even been saved.

"I really have a plan this time." Ragnor insisted, entering the room and closing the door behind him. Alec held back from the urge to open it again. "I have a way to get to Magnus without Camille knowing. I just had to gather the right supplies."

He moved to the far wall and leaned against it. Alec watched curiously, then understood. He remembered watching Magnus jump through the brick wall outside of the club, and knew that Ragnor was creating the same thing. "There's energy in this room for that?" He asked.

"Well, no." Ragnor said. "But if what Magnus told me was true and not an exaggeration, you are all the energy I need."

"What?" Alec didn't understand anything about teleporting or whatever it is Magnus had done, so he had no idea how he could possibly help Ragnor in that moment. Ragnor turned to face him, an excited smile on his face.

"Magnus is a well experienced traveler." He said. "But he couldn't help but keep running into you. People are pulled to certain people for any number of reasons, and your energy pulled Magnus to you."

"That sounds highly romantic and improbable." Alec deadpanned.

"I've heard of it happening before," Ragnor said. "Just never with another person being the attraction. You see, certain events may draw a traveler to a time period, but never has a person told me about being drawn to another human's energy."

"So, you want to use my energy to get to Magnus?" Alec asked.

"Precisely." Ragnor smiled. "Come closer." 

Alec did as he was told and stepped towards the wall. He felt a small buzz in his chest, and suddenly he could see Magnus. He gasped, reached out, only to hit the wall and have the image shattered. "I saw him," He breathed. "Ragnor, he was there! He was chained up and he looked sick, but I saw him!"

"Good," Ragnor said. "You need to keep thinking of what you saw, no matter how upsetting."

Alec felt the buzz grow stronger in his chest. "Magnus," He called out. The sight of him slowly returned, only slightly more foggy, like seeing him through a dream. At the sound of his name, Magnus looked up. His eyes were bloodshot and his clothes were scraps hanging from his frame. Alec called out again.

"Alexander?" He heard Magnus' weak reply.

Ragnor pushed him forward, and Alec fell towards the image of Magnus. He felt himself pass through something, and he felt like he was falling forever- 

He hit a floor with a thump hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. He blinked the pain away and coughed. Slowly, he looked up to see Magnus staring at him, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. All the pain in Alec's body was forgotten as he scrambled to his feet and lunged at the other man, rocking him back, the chains creaking in protest. "Oh my god," Alec gasped, not even hearing Ragnor's yelp of surprise at hitting the ground just seconds later. Ragnor moved around them and began working on unlocking the chains from around Magnus' wrists.

Once free, Magnus fell onto Alec, unable to hold himself up. "Alexander," He sighed, feeling like the weight of the whole world was pressing down on his eyelids. He couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not. Alec seemed like a dream, at least.

"I've got you," Alec said. "What now?" He asked Ragnor. 

Ragnor paled and meagerly shrugged his shoulders. "I-I hadn't thought this far. I was so focused on figuring out a way to get to Magnus that I hadn't bothered trying to picture a way back."

"Shut up," Alec said, his heart turning to stone. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, I suppose we better start thinking." Ragnor suggested.

"We can't just sneak out of here, Magnus can't even stand up straight."

When Alec said his name, Magnus stirred slightly and muttered something against Alec's neck. He repeated it, louder, but the only understandable word was "pocket." Ragnor stepped to them and dug around in all of Magnus' pockets, apparently understanding that he had something that might help him.

"Son of a bitch," He muttered, though there was no actual malice to the words. Ragnor pulled out a small rectangular device. "How many times do I have to tell you to not steal my stuff, Magnus?" 

Magnus let out a weak wheeze of a laugh, but that was all. "What is it?" Alec asked.

"It's a sensor of sorts." Ragnor said. "It'll help locate massive amounts of energy."

"We can't just use mine?" Alec asked.

Ragnor barely glanced at him. "You're not an endless source, Alexander. You and Magnus, you draw each other together, but you're not any help now that you're reunited."

Alec ignored the weight of the words. "So, that device can help?"

"Yes," Ragnor smiled. "I invented it myself. Camille isn't the only commander that has a few ideas bouncing around. The only difference between us-" Ragnor began pacing around the room, waving the device this way and that, "- Is that while she focused on the evil development of weapons, I looked at tactful approaches to conquering."

Alec watched for a moment as Ragnor moved, but then Magnus stirred again and had recaptured Alec's attention. "Hey," Alec whispered, moving Magnus so he could support him better. "How are you?"

It was a silly question to ask, but Alec just went with his instincts, and his instincts said to nurture. Magnus stifled a groan. "I- I've been better." 

Alec dropped a kiss onto his forehead. "I'm sorry." 

"What for?"

"If I hadn't asked for those communicators, none of this would have happened." Alec said, feeling the guilt in his stomach amplify. No one had to help piece the puzzle together for him, he was a smart guy.

"Alec," Magnus said, straightening up slightly. "Don't you ever blame yourself. This was all my doing. I have plenty of means of getting paid, but I went for the quickest, easiest source. I would do it again, if I had to choose." His small speech winded him, and he sagged against Alec. "I would always choose you." Magnus said, drifting off slightly.

"Stay awake," Alec said, shaking him slightly. He didn't know what kind of injuries Magnus had, for all Alec knew he could just be tired, but he wasn't taking the risk. "We'll be safe soon."

In that moment, Alec wouldn't be able to describe how he knew that something bad was about to happen. The air seemed to still and dry, and the back of his neck prickled as if it was shocked with static. His stomach felt like it was going to shoot out of his mouth. The doors to the room slid open, and in walked Camille.

"Well," She began, eyes shooting immediately to Magnus and Alec. "What do we have here?" Alec glanced around for Ragnor, but couldn't find the man. "You've come to save your boyfriend?"

Alec, pushing down the wave of defeat that was flooding his body, glared at her. "I have saved my boyfriend." He said confidently, letting the title roll off of his tongue with ease, as if he had been calling Magnus his boyfriend for years.

Camille laughed sharply. "My dear, I have to admit, Magnus may have upped his game with the boys but you sure are one of the most dull men he's ever romanced." She put a hand on her hip. "You haven't rescued him until you're gone from here." Alec felt her words freeze him. "And it looks to me that you won't be leaving any time soon." With a sway to her step, she approached the two boys. Magnus appeared to be out of it, and Alec could do nothing but watch, like a mouse cornered by a tomcat.

"Drop the needle." Ragnor's voice rang out. Camille spun around, searching, but like Alec she wasn't able to see him. 

"Fell?" She called out. "You dare enter my quarters?"

"You dared to enter mine," Ragnor countered. "I'm simply reclaiming what's mine."

Camille smirked at this. "Ah, you are mistaken. Magnus is an undeclared citizen, subject to whatever laws he is captured by."

"It seems that you are the mistaken one." Ragnor said, his tone dancing with mischief. "Magnus declared his loyalty to my cause over five years ago."

Though she didn't say anything, Alec saw the way Camille tensed at the information. "You're lying." 

"I have the documentation to prove it." He lied easily, knowing just the thought was enough to get at Camille.

Camille shook herself, trying to get back on track. "Well, he has broken plenty of laws that require punishment-"

"Name them." Ragnor ordered.

"Stolen machine-"

"I believe if you check the factory records, his machine was returned after a simple, approved mission." Ragnor said calmly. What he didn't tell Camille was that he had a special hand in adjusting those records.

"Bringing an innocent to our time." Camille tried.

"It's my understanding that Alexander never set foot in this zone until you interjected." 

Camille turned to look at Alec, who nodded. "It's true. Magnus told me he traveled, but he never brought me here." He lied. 

Camille groaned, knowing she had no proof to her claim. "Ragnor, what about the murders?" She exclaimed, excited to have something.

Alec froze, not knowing what she could be talking about. "Murders?" He asked. 

Ragnor steamed ahead. "Murders done under your command, in exchange for payment." 

Camille seemed out of cards to play. "None of that matters," She said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I have already started the Change."

Ragnor didn't reply immediately, obviously thrown off. "An injection would be easy to staffer off." 

"Possibly," Camille said. "But twelve?"

Alec forgot everything about murders and stolen items and criminal backgrounds and looked at Magnus, glancing for any signs that Camille had hurt him. He saw on Magnus' neck a deep blossoming bruise, skin raised to a bump from multiple injections. "Oh my god," He gasped, running his fingers lightly over it, feeling Magnus flinch from the pain. 

"Still, nothing to worry about." Ragnor said, voice obviously forced into calmness.

"Whatever you say," Camille said in a sing-song voice, slowly making her way closer to Alec and Magnus. 

Before she could reach them, Alec felt a tug on the back of his shirt and he stumbled, pulling Magnus with him, and he was falling again. He didn't hit the floor again, but instead crushed Ragnor under him. Magnus rolled away, limp and unconscious. Alec crawled to him, not noticing Ragnor's complaints and his sarcastic mumble of "You're welcome."

He didn't notice where he was, if they were even truly safe, all he could see was Magnus. He looked weak, and sick. Alec's heart ached for him, "Magnus, please wake up." He begged, feeling unshed tears spring to his eyes. 

Magnus flinched, eyes fluttering. "Alec," He muttered. "Alec, are you okay?" He asked.

Alec couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. "Am _I_ okay?" Alec echoed. "You idiot," He sighed and leaned down, kissing Magnus. 

Behind them, Ragnor cleared his throat. "Hate to interrupt," He said, very clearly not hating that he was interrupting. "But we're not done yet."

Alec sat back, gently pushing Magnus' hair back and out of his face. "What do you mean?"

"You two can't stay here." Ragnor told him. "I need to send you home."

"This is Magnus' home." Alec said. 

Ragnor shook his head. "It's not safe for him here. If he stays, Camille will find him again and finish what she started."

The words hung heavy in the air. "So what do we do?"

"My suggestion is to go back to your time. I doubt she'll waste much time looking for you. Maybe take a long vacation to throw her off." Ragnor said.

Alec nodded, glancing down at Magnus once more before taking in their surroundings. They were in Ragnor's bar, broken glass scattered around them. "What about those shots?" Alec asked, grimacing at the sight of the ugly bruises on Magnus' neck.

"Camille didn't get far in her process," Ragnor said. "So I am almost positive that whatever effects they have will not be permanent."

"Okay." Alec sighed, feeling very exhausted. "How do we get home?"

"I'll take you." Ragnor stood and bent to help Alec lift Magnus. They walked around the bar and towards the exit, where Ragnor said his machine was. "I'm sorry, but I'll need for you to give me your exact time and location." 

Alec told Ragnor what year he was from, the city, the date he last remembered. He spit out his exact apartment address as he helped load Magnus into the machine, sitting him in a chair and strapping him down. In the excitement of everything, Alec didn't notice the buzz of Ragnor's machine. He held Magnus' hand as the technology hummed to life and lurched forward, like a roller coaster being released from the holding station. 

Stepping into his apartment after his long and strange absence felt amazing to Alec. He carried Magnus to his bed and covered him with the blanket. Once back in the living room with Ragnor he asked, "What if something happens because of the shots? What do I do?"

Ragnor frowned. "Here," He said, digging in his pants' pocket and pulling out his device. "In case of an emergency, you know where to find me."

"Ragnor, thank you. I don't know how I'll ever thank you enough." Alec said truthfully. 

"Just take care of him." Ragnor smiled. "Take care of each other."

Alec nodded and surprised both himself and Ragnor by pulling him in for a hug, slapping him on the back with an air of finality. Alec slid the device into his jean pocket, praying that he would never have a reason to bring it back out. Ragnor left after wishing goodbye to the still-asleep Magnus, and then Alec was left alone.  
After a pause, where he sat oddly uncomfortably on his couch, his phone erupted to life. Scrolling through his missed calls and messages, he saw that all of them were from his siblings. Alec had only been gone a few days, but he supposed he did disappear without warning. It wasn't necessarily a welcome vacation. 

He called both his brother and sister at the same time and sat for fifteen minutes straight while both took turns lecturing him. Finally, Alec got to speak. "I'm sorry, there was just this emergency with Magnus-"

"Magnus?" His brother Jace interjected. "That foreign dude you were showing around campus?"

Alec bit his tongue as Isabelle exclaimed, "You haven't told him yet!?"

Alec rehashed what he could, obviously leaving out the bits about time travelling and nearly dying. In the end, Jace said that he was happy for Alec, but then ruined the nice moment by making an inappropriate comment in classic Jace style. Before Alec could become too flustered, he heard a muffled cry of pain come from his room. "Hey guys," He said quickly. "I'll call you later. Promise."

"Alec-"

Izzy tried to keep him on the phone, but Alec had already hung up. He sprung up from his spot on the couch and sprinted to his room, kneeling by Magnus' side in an instant. "You okay?" He asked, grabbing his hand. 

Magnus nodded, though it pained him to do so. "Just- just sore," He groaned out. "And tired."

"Do you want medicine?" Alec asked.

Magnus didn't know what kind of medicine Alec's time had, but he nodded, knowing that anything was better than nothing. Alec returned after a minute with two Tylenol pills and a glass of water. "How's your neck?" He asked after he helped Magnus with the drink. 

"Feels like a dozen flu shots," Magnus shrugged. "But. . ."

"But what?"

Magnus glanced at him, obviously still tired from everything. "I'm just so glad you showed up when you did."

"Me too." Alec smiled. "I'll leave you to rest now."

"No, stay." Magnus said, gripping Alec's hand tight. "Please." He added softly.

Alec smiled and nodded, feeling his stomach flutter. They fell asleep quickly, the exhaustion of everything catching up with them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHH


End file.
